Chuck vs His Heritage
by BDaddyDL
Summary: The sequel to Sarah vs The Death of Charles Bartowski. The story is now complete.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N I came up with this story before the end of season 3. With the exception of Alex, the story goes AU after _Chuck vs. the Role Models_.**

**I want to thank PJ Murphy for his Beta. I really screwed the pooch on a section here, and to his credit he called me on it. Also, thanks go out to Joe. Without his help, I would not try so hard to make sure I never go to OOC.**

**A final thanks go out to all the people that read that reviewed or favorited my last story. This story will have a lot more action, but not nearly the angst. **

**If you haven't read _Sarah vs The Death of Charles Bartowski_ let me know and ill fill you in.**

Chuck was lying on his side, facing the wall. He was happy he woke up early. He could roll over slowly and look at his sleeping wife. It was the favorite pats of Chuck's day.. Without opening his eyes, he placed his hand where she would be. Unfortunately, all he felt was a sheet. Chuck never could wake up as alertly as his beloved. That's when he heard an unusual sound. It sounded like a female Wookiee.

Suddenly it hit him. "Sarah, are you OK?" he called out to her.

Chuck got up and started for the bathroom, but stopped when he heard the faucet running. When he got to the bathroom, he slowly peeked inside. Chuck saw Sarah brushing her teeth, trying to get the morning sickness taste out of her mouth. Sarah stared at Chuck. It was not a happy look on her face.

Sarah bent over and rinsed her mouth out. "You know this is your fault. We could have gone to the drugstore, but NOOO! Chuck wants to 'live in the moment'!"

Chuck couldn't help himself; a slow giggle left his body. Sarah had been wrong that first night when he met her. She had a great sense of humor. He was also glad, however, that she never wanted to cook fava beans and drink a bottle of Chianti.

Sarah straightened up and looked at him. A smile grew across her face. "I never thought I would do that."

"Do what?" Chuck asked her as Sarah stepped into his arms.

"Blame you for something we both did." Sarah separated herself from Chuck, as she walked back into the bedroom. "We need to get dressed. Beckman will be here in ninety minutes."

"Beckman, Beckman, right. Not that I mind meeting people, but General Beckman?" They had worked with her for a long time, and he trusted her completely. But she was definitely not someone he wanted to see. Beckman had him tranqed, which prevented him from getting a message to Sarah when she really needed it.

Sarah looked at Chuck and smiled. She knew what he was thinking. "Chuck, I think you will be a little surprised with Diane."

Chuck looked at the love of his life as if she had just spoken Swahili. "Diane? Are we speaking of the same person? Short hair in a bun. Angry demeanor? Hook on right hand?"

Sarah laughed and then looked intensely at him. "Yes, that Diane. Chuck, we have something a lot more important to talk about. She'll want to know what we want to do about me. As I see it, we have two options. First, we could get you a new cover and disguise. In a few months we could meet and fall for each other. Then, a few months after that, we get married. The problem is we couldn't see each other for months."

"Sarah, there is no way that is going to happen. I had to be sedated after one day! A month? Not gonna happen!"

"I know. Remember, I had to spend a week without the Bartowski eyebrow dance." Sarah put her hand up to quiet Chuck. "Chuck, I don't blame you. In fact, I am proud of you. You made a quick decision that saved your life, and very possibly mine and the baby's."

Sarah had to get back to the topic at hand. "Chuck, we have to make some decisions quickly. We need to finish this. The other option is to fake my death. That way, we could both be off the radar. We could do whatever we wanted within reason. I have a huge problem with it, though."

"Ellie and Devon," Chuck replied.

"Yes, Chuck. She is my sister now. She is my best friend. I don't want Uncle Casey to be the only family..." Her words drifted off.

"Sarah, are you OK?" Chuck looked at Sarah's face intently. She had a look as if she was a million miles away. Slowly, a smile formed on her face and she refocused on the man she loved.

"I'm fine, Chuck," she said softly. "I was thinking how to make it work."

"Sarah, we are going to have to go with option two. Our baby will never be safe as long as the Intersect is valuable. It worked on my father, it worked on me... Ellie. Oh, God. Ellie."

**Casey's Apartment**

Colonel John Casey was sitting down on his couch. Alex had just left with her husband and their son, Stephen. In spite of the images that continued to go through his head of greying old men making silly faces at little babies, he was glad to be a grandfather. The military and the NSA robbed him of being a proper father, but he was determined to be a good grandfather. Casey even enjoyed being around the Gimli wannabe. Although he was forced to concede Morgan would never be an action hero, no matter how hard he tried.

Casey had to admit _Lord Of the Rings_ kicked ass. Casey thought Chuck was going to dance a jig when he discovered Casey had watched the entire trilogy several times. Casey smiled when he thought of how he got him back.

"_Chuck. Yo, Chuck! Would you give her the damn ring already? Either that or keep it in your frigging pocket. You're gonna lose it, and I don't want to hear any whining about it. Although I think you might wanna wait till after Walker seduces the mark."_

_Casey enjoyed seeing him wince. He knew this part of the business was hard on Chuck, but he was getting better at it. Chuck had come a long way. You could take the nerd out of the Buy More, but you couldn't take the Buy More out of the nerd. So when he grabbed the ring again and showed it to Casey, Chuck waved the ring inches from Casey's face. Casey was not amused._

"_Put your precious back in your damn pocket before I go Middle Earth on your ass."_

Casey grunted to himself in amusement. The look on Chuck had been classic. In fact, just remembering it made him think he earned a reward. With the Bartowski's at the safe house, a conversation with Johnny Walker sounded like a good idea. He put the glass to his lips when the phone rang.

_Crap, who is this? _Casey thought. When he looked down at the caller ID, he was not happy. _Why isn't Bartowski getting his peanut butter in Walker's chocolate right now?_

"Casey, secure."

"Bartowski, secure. This is Sarah. John, what are Ellie and Devon up to?"

Casey tried to figure out what barb to use. Although, since Sarah had called him John, it might not be a good idea right now. "Hang on Sarah,. I'll check." Casey glanced at the monitors. "They're in their sitting in the living room. Why?"

"Casey, we just realized that Ellie is the only person genetically tied to Chuck left alive. We don't know if she's in danger because of the intersect."

"I'm on it. I'll be at Ellie's new house in no time. Sarah, it'll be fine. Just make sure you and the nerd are OK."

"Casey, one more thing," Sarah said with hesitation. She looked at Chuck. Chuck looked over at Sarah and slowly nodded his head. "Speed is important. We are going to have to have a conversation. _The_ conversation."

Casey pulled the phone from his ear and looked at it. _Damn, he's actually going to do it. He is finally going to tell his sister what he does for a living. I can't wait to see this, _Casey thought to himself. He put the phone back up to reply to Sarah.

"Sarah, tell the nerd everyone will be at the safe house in five hours."

**Morgan Grimes' Vehicle**

"Casey, what can I do for you Big Man?" asked a relaxed Morgan on his mobile phone.

After a long period of not-so-hidden hostility since marrying Alex, Morgan was able to have a conversation with his father-in-law. He was glad. He needed a lot more people to talk to, now that his best friend, Chuck, was dead.

"Can it, fuzzball. Drop Stephen off at your mother's. I need you here in thirty minutes. Make that forty minutes. Ellie's house. We're evacuating Ellie and Awesome."

"What happened, Casey? Casey?" Morgan looked at his phone and saw his father-in-law hung up on him.

When Alex looked at her husband, she saw a man who was lost. She had seen that face on Morgan a lot in the last few weeks.

"Don't worry, honey. I'll call your mom. You know Bolonia loves seeing Stephen."

**Hospitality Industries - Main Office**

Andrew Patel was sitting down in his desk chair. He paid an obscene amount of money for it, but that was the price of an image he had to keep. Being the owner of hundreds of properties was a dream come true. But that dream incurred a heavy toll. He had lost his family. His wife died twelve years ago. Just last week his daughter had been killed.

His constant work had kept him away from his family. His quest for power drove them away. His only daughter tried to join him in his other business, but now she was dead. First captured, and then murdered. Now, all he wanted was revenge. He knew _what_ he wanted. Andrew was about to learn the who.

Mr. Patel looked at his desk and hit the intercom. "Please send him in."

Andrew Patel looked up and saw the man with the answers he needed. He was of average height and build. He looked like any mid-level bureaucrat. The difference was his eyes. There was no life in them. When Andrew had worked with his friend, Ted Roark, he had seen a lot of eyes like these. It had been a while since had seen those kind of eyes. Patel needed those kind of eyes to help him avenge his Lizzy.

"Hello, Mr. Adams. I hope you have the information for me. Before we get into the plan, I just want to know one thing. Who is the target we are looking for?"

Mr. Adams opened the folder in his hands and bent back the cover, revealing a five by seven photo. He lifted the folder and faced it so Mr. Patel could see it.

"The target's name is Sarah Walker," Mr. Adams said.

**OK, I am trying to expand my abilities in this story. Please let me know how I am doing. Please review or PM me. As long as you don't tell me I stink on ice, any criticism is welcome. Doing so will only make this story better.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Thanks to Jim and another read over. I also want to thank PJ Murphy. During an edit I slaughtered three paragraphs, and he rode in on a pale horse and saved hundreds of WTF's from people who read this.**

**Chapter 2**

Grabbing his bag on the way out the door, Colonel John Casey's phone began to ring. Casey retrieved his phone and started speaking in his own form of language; a barely**-**understandable series of grunts he learned from John Wayne, one of his idols. "Casey, secure."

"Colonel Casey, this is Agent Tolliver. We have arrived on station at the Bartowski house. Everything seems to be OK. The assets are inside."

"Thanks, Tolliver. If their status changes or if you see anything abnormal, call me."

Sarah decided that Morgan should meet with the Woodcomb's first. He had known Ellie for a long time, and he was no longer the creepy guy who stalked her. Ellie even liked Alex.

"Hey Ellie. How ya doing?" Morgan was all-smiles as he greeted his former teenage obsession.

"Not bad, Morgan. I'm getting ready for work in a few hours. Devon just got home. He had a light day. This last week has been brutal." Ellie saw Alex come to the door right behind her husband. "Hi, Alex. I did not see you. Where is little Stephen at?"

"He is at Morgan's mom's house. Where is Devon?" Ellie looked behind her into the house to locate Devon. She missed Morgan sending a text that read _Code Orange. _Devon_ was_ told years ago what 'orange' meant. Ellie was going to find out the truth.

_Why now?_ Devon wondered. _Chuck was dead, what was the point?_

Devon's thoughts were interrupted by Ellie greeting John Casey at the door.

"Hi, John. How are you? What brings you to see us?" It was obvious Ellie was a little confused. Her confusion, unfortunately, was only going to get worse as the day progressed.

"Ellie, I am going to need you to sit down for a second. I need to ask a favor." Casey would have liked to have been able to just converse amiably with them, but now was not the time for chitchat. Ellie looked down the hall and saw Devon coming back into the room. He nodded at Ellie and sat next to her on the couch. Once they were settled, Ellie looked at Casey in anticipation.

Casey reached into his pocket and grabbed his wallet. He gave her a business card and flashed an ID Ellie never saw before. "I am a reserve Colonel in the United States Army. I have been ordered to tell you to pack a bag for five days. We must leave immediately. I do not have the full details of what is going on, but I have been informed it has national security implications."

A stunned silence filled the room. Ellie looked completely shocked. Alex broke the tension. "Ellie, let's go get your bag packed."

Alex found Ellie's hand and led her to her bedroom. Once they were out of sight, Devon looked at Casey intensely. It had been a long time since he had felt fear like this. It had not been long enough.

"What is going on, John? I thought our family was in the clear."

"I don't know, Devon. I got the call this morning. Please get your stuff ready. Do it fast. No matter what happens, you are going to need to be by Ellie's side today."

Devon slowly nodded and made the journey to his bedroom.

Thirty minutes later, everyone piled into one of the three GMC Yukons Casey procured from the local NSA office. The small convoy left Casa Bartowski.

The ride quickly settled into monotony. No one was speaking. The only sounds that could be heard were the hum of the radio and the hiss from the condenser on the SUV's air conditioner. Ellie usually liked to have the windows rolled down on nice days like this, but now did not seem like the time to mention it. She was getting worried about Devon. He appeared to be very concerned about something, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. Something else piqued Ellie's curiosity as much as what was going on. She was amazed at Morgan. Ellie had known Morgan for almost twenty years. Morgan had always been the awkward friend of her little brother. Ordinarily she saw him very relaxed, but now his back was straight and his eyes never seemed to stay on one spot. They were always moving.

Ellie couldn't sit in silence anymore. "So when did John pick you and Alex up?"

Morgan looked like someone had hit him. All of his awkwardness returned in a flash. "Umm...well...just a little before you, Ellie."

Their conversation was interrupted by a radio next to John. "B2 to B1, we have a problem."

Alex went to grab the radio, but she got a look from Casey that stopped her immediately. John grabbed the radio. "B2, go ahead."

"B1, we may have a tail. We have Charger about 400 yards behind us. Their distance has not changed in the last 20 minutes."

The report amplified the tension in the car to levels Ellie had not seen since their last disaster call in the ER at Westside. Casey grabbed his phone and made a quick call. Ellie wished she could hear the other end of the conversation, but all she heard was John's deep, growling voice.

"Casey, secure. General, we may have a tail. Yes, ma'am. Please let Mrs. Carmichael know we are on our way in. We'll be there in an hour."

Casey's phone call did not calm Ellie, to say the least. "John, please tell me what is going on." Ellie looked at the people in the vehicle. Everyone, even Devon, was avoiding eye contact. Ellie was starting to panic. _Devon, as you would say, this is not awesome, _she thought.

When Casey did not answer, Ellie broke out that voice she used in the hospital that demanded an immediate action. "John! What is going on?"

Casey growled at Ellie, matching the volume in her voice. "Ellie, sit back and please be quiet. There will be answers. Right now, your protection is our only priority."

Ellie shuddered. The thought of her life being in danger was surreal. This trip was surreal; the whole day was beyond comprehension. As the SUV's drove onward, two questions were at the forefront of her mind.

_Who was this general, and why did Devon's eyes pop open when he heard Mrs. Carmichael?_

**George Adams' Vehicle**

"Mr. Patel, the situation has not changed," Adams reported to the man bankrolling the assignment. "We are following Colonel Casey and their caravan. We have been able to stay a discreet distance away. Unfortunately, there is no way we will be able to avoid being spotted much longer."

"I understand, Mr. Adams," Patel replied. "The caravan must be intercepted before it reaches its destination. Eliminate everybody else, but we need the sister alive. Sarah Walker will have to wait. Good luck, George."

Adams terminated his call to Mr. Patel and contacted the other vehicle to plan the attack.

**Johnston Safehouse - 30 Minutes Ago **

Sarah looked at Chuck sitting on the couch in the living room of the Johnston house. Chuck looked a little aggravated. They had been waiting almost an hour for Beckman to arrive. Usually she was punctual, but for some reason she was late this afternoon. Sarah gave a little smile. She knew why Chuck was agitated. Last night she found out Chuck's death had been faked. Sarah had not seen him in a week, and both of them wanted to spend more time saying hello. Preferably in their bedroom. With no clothes on. At that thought, Sarah's smile widened to a full grin. It was a shame that matters of national security had to get in the way.

"Chuck, she is the head of the NSA, and she has a few things to do."

Chuck looked at Sarah. While he had always been the one to mess with Beckman, Sarah had not always been her biggest fan. Chuck began to open his mouth when the door in the room leading outside, opened up. Several agents, who could have been labeled as Generic Agents One through Five for all the personality they exuded, entered the room. Right behind them was Diane Beckman. Chuck was surprised. This was the first time he had seen her in civilian clothes.

"Well, if it isn't the Bartowski's. How are you doing this morning, Chuck? Sarah?"

Chuck then looked at Sarah, who wore a similar expression as the general. _WHAT IS THE DEAL_? How could he defuse bombs, rappel down buildings, and recall twelve different martial arts disciplines, but he couldn't figure women out?

Chuck looked at the General. Her normal authoritative demeanor had returned. "Chuck, your sister and brother-in-law are coming. They should be here in about 90 minutest. Per your request, they're bringing Morgan and Alex.

"Good. I want all of them to make their own choices," Chuck replied as he looked at Sarah, grateful she nodded in approval at his decision.

"Speaking of choices, what did you two decide?" Beckman asked to get the conversation back on track.

"Decide? What do you..." Chuck started to reply, but he was cut off by Beckman putting her hand up.

"If there is one constant about the two of you, it is that Sarah likes to know what's coming before it happens, and you want to talk about _everything."_ Sarah had to smile at the way Beckman stressed that last word. Chuck may not have realized it, but the best way to tell if he was hiding something was when he did not want to talk about it.

Sarah looked at Chuck, and it was his turn to nod slightly in approval at what they discussed earlier. "We think our days of field work are coming to an end. It had nothing to do with the baby; the baby just hurried a decision that was inevitable. However, since it seems that the Bartowski clan is genetically disposed to handling the Intersect, it is obvious Sarah Walker will have to die as well."

Sarah took a deep breath. When Chuck and she talked about having this conversation; the next part was the unknown. "General, we decided we want to continue our work, but we do not know at what capacity."

Beckman exhaled in relief. She would have supported them if they wanted to leave completely, but remaining in the Agency gave her a greater number of options. Finally composing herself, she looked at both of them. "There are a lot of possibilities open to you, but I need to ask Chuck a question. Could you work for Sarah?"

Chuck raised an impish eyebrow. "I'm sorry General; was there a time when I didn't?"

The general smiled. Although the person in charge in a relationship never changed, it was nice to see Chuck confirm that. "Well Sarah, I think we can get everything settled." Beckman raised a similar impish eyebrow as Chuck, which was quite disconcerting for Chuck and Sarah to see. "It will be nice for Bartowski to be a pain in someone else's ass for a while."

Beckman's cell phone interrupted the conversation. Chuck got very little out of Beckman's side of the conversation. "Beckman. Secure. Be careful, Colonel. I will. We will have a team meet you."

Beckman hung up her phone and addressed them. "It appears that you're timing was impeccable. Someone is following the caravan. Sarah, please get with Agent Thomas to setup a response team in five minutes. Chuck, could you please stay here for a second?"

Sarah quickly and left the living room to arrange the backup team.

Beckman turned to Chuck after Sarah left the room. "Chuck, we need to talk about the priorities of this mission."

Chuck just looked at Beckman. "I know, the safety of the Intersect must come first."

"No, Chuck. Sarah's safety must come first. The other agents will take care of you. Your wife will take care of you. Just remember, the safety of Sarah and your future child belongs to you. Now go to Sarah so you can keep your family safe."

As Chuck got up to follow where Sarah had gone, he saw General Diane Beckman turn around to make a call. While walking down the long narrow hallway, he wondered if he was right in thinking he saw some moisture on the face of General Beckman. Of the many troubling events he experienced recently, seeing the unflappable Diane Beckman like that was the most troubling of all.

**A/N I am almost done with my second rewrite of Chapter 3. It is a much longer with a lot more action. I will get it out really soon if you can let me know how I am doing. How do you do that? It is real easy hit the review button.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Before I forget. I do NOT own Chuck, although I do own a Chuck hat, and try not to leave home without it. **

**A/N: Thanks Chief, you know who you are, for not only keeping me in character, but for keeping Chuck This up and running.**

**This chapter might have taken a lot longer to complete, but supesfan18 bullied me into keeping going. Thanks. There's more to say, but that will wait, instead go read Chuck vs The Coma. **

**Finally, if it wasn't for the 2 listed before and PJ Murphy's great Beta work, this chapter would be unreadable. As it is, if you like this chapter, thank them the crap is all me.**

**Chapter 3**

"Casey, secure."

"Carmichael, secure."

"Where do you want to meet?"

Sarah looked at Chuck in the back seat. She was still amazed when she saw him working on his laptop. It looked like his non-Intersect skills would save the day. Chuck really was_ her _hero.

"There is a truck stop on the north end of Santa Neela," Chuck said as he turned the laptop to show Sarah. "We will be there about ten minutes ahead of them."

"Casey, Santa Neela. First exit just north of the town. Go to the T/A Truck Stop and park on the south side of the parking lot.

**T/A Truck Stop - 15 Minutes Later**

"Casey, we are at the T/A. We are in position. Which vehicle are you in?"

"Carmichael, we are in the middle vehicle. I am going to slow down just a bit. See you soon. Do you think telling him to stay in the car would work?"

Sarah looked at Chuck, who heard the conversation. He shook his head. Chuck raised his voice so Casey could hear him. "Casey, I want to try that new tranq rifle we were working on. Besides Casey, if you remember, I owe you a shot in the butt if I miss. This thing is mostly your design."

"Remember, moron, we shoot the bad guys first. Casey out." Ellie's look went from confused to complete shock.

Casey looked in the rear view mirror of the Yukon. He addressed Ellie and Devon. "Not sure what is going to happen in the next few minutes. If something bad happens, keep your heads down. Alex and Morgan will take care of you. Alex, get the general on the phone. If we have to call in a Blackhawk, we'll need it ASAP." 

Morgan looked at the Woodcombs. His sadness for them was written all over his face. "Ellie? Devon? We need you to not freak out right now. Whatever happens in the next few minutes is just going to happen. Just be ready. We may need your expertise, although we hope it doesn't come to that. But it won't help us if you're freaking out. Just know the best team of people in the intelligence community is working to keep you safe."

The two doctors looked at each other. When they slowly nodded the relief was evident everyone's face.

Chuck looked at his phone. Casey sent them a text. _Getting off the highway._

**T/A Truck Stop (Ellie's POV)**

Casey's caravan progressed slowly to the south side of the parking lot. There was a truck wash with cinder block walls 40 feet in length in the far corner. _Perfect for an ambush,_ Casey mused with some concern. He radioed the lead car to park near there.

Casey looked at the occupants of the vehicle with a look of confidence everybody could feel. "Let's do this."

Ellie was going completely out of her mind. She had definitely taken the red pill and fallen down the rabbit hole. _Chuck and his damn movie references,_ she thought. _ If only he was here. _He had always been so normal. He could have made sense of this and taken decisive action. Well, maybe not. Chuck was never a man of action, but at least he would make her laugh. A little bit of laughter would be good right now. Morgan wasn't the Morgan she knew. John Casey had always been intense, but never anything like this. Even Alex, whom she had begun to think of as family, was eerily quiet.

Ellie felt the SUV slow down and come to a stop. Nothing felt out of the ordinary apart from the static originating from the 2-way radio. It was a clear day, and the smell of diesel fuel permeated the air when John opened the door. She felt very strange. The colors all around her were brighter. She felt as if her entire body was ready to take on any threat. Ellie's confidence was buoyed when Devon looked at her.

_Thank goodness he's here._ Her wonderful husband. He looked so hot right now. Ellie looked down and smiled. _Textbook reaction to danger,_ she realized. Her body was dumping adrenaline into her system. She felt the same way when she got mass casualty calls in the ER. It's a shame there was no on call room for Devon and her to...

_BOOM_

Ellie felt the explosion as much as she heard it. When she looked up, she saw Casey swivel around to scan the area and then dive back into the car. The driver's door was slammed violently, and the SUV lurched forward like it was rocket propelled. She looked to her left and saw 5 men crouched and moving towards the vehicle. They looked like a SWAT team! They were dressed in black, and they had machine guns. She turned forward in horror as it appeared John was dead in the front seat. She reached forward to check his pulse and felt something hidden under his hair on the back of his neck. She pushed his hair aside and breathed a sigh of relief. A tranquilizer dart was there; he was merely unconscious.

_BOOM_

The second explosion felt like it was behind her. She looked to where Alex had been, but the girl had the door open and was outside looking through the windows of the car at the other side. Ellie turned around to look for Devon. Devon was almost screaming at her.

"Ellie, come on!"

Morgan was out the passenger door and Devon was half way out. She glanced over the men who were approaching the Yukon. For the first time since it started, she could not deny she was terrified. Ellie was about to leave the vehicle when she wanted to scream. Ellie saw some woman running toward the four guys and wanted to shout a warning. The woman was running full speed at the men.

_Where did she come from?_ Ellie wondered to herself.

Devon was tugging at her arm, but she couldn't take her eyes off the scene playing out on the other side of the van. The mystery woman looked familiar, but she acted in a way completely foreign to Ellie. The mystery woman carried herself differently, and yet she almost looked like...

Ellie's mouth opened wide. She saw the mystery woman reach the first man and witnessed her spin in the air, perfectly executing a kick to the man's jaw. Once the first blow landed, the bad guys scattered. The woman took 3 quick steps to her left and tripped a second man with a kick to the back of his knee. A solid right hook to his jaw finished off bad guy number 2.

Devon finally was able to slide her to the door, but Ellie was amazed and horrified as the woman took out a knife. _Where did she get that from?_ she thought as the woman threw the knife at baddie number 3. Without even looking to see if the knife landed properly, the mystery woman took out a gun and pointed at a fourth man, but the man fell to the ground before she could squeeze the trigger.

Devon finally managed to drag Ellie out of the SUV. She nodded at him to assure him she was OK. Devon and Ellie turned around to look at Morgan. He was crouched by the side of the SUV, looking around the corner of the taillights to see if it was clear.

Morgan stood up and looked at them. "Come with me," he whispered. Ellie looked behind her and Alex was nodding encouragement.

Morgan turned around the corner and suddenly crumpled to the ground. Ellie heard a scream and felt Alex push Devon and her to the ground. Ellie tried to crawl forward to help Morgan. She looked forward to see a pistol leveled just inches from Alex's head.

Ellie tried to scream a warning, but she could see the trigger being pulled. She ducked back to the ground and covered her head. Suddenly she heard the sound of metal hitting concrete. Ellie looked up and crawled forward to see the gun on the ground. The last bad guy was lying next to the pistol. Ellie looked at his neck, and there was another dart.

Ellie stared in shock at the man who shot Morgan. A voice was calling from behind her. A woman's voice.

"Ellie? Ellie?"

There was only one other woman here besides Alex and her: the mystery woman. But that voice! Ellie was more than familiar with it. She turned to see the mystery woman standing over her. Her hair was in a ponytail, and she wore similar clothing to the five men who attacked the convoy. She had a look of sadness as she gazed at Ellie, as if she blamed herself for this happening.

"Sarah! What is…I mean, how did you…" Ellie looked at Sarah in complete astonishment as her sister-in-law…no, her _sister_…pulled Ellie to her feet and hugged her tightly.

"Ellie, I promise we will explain all of it, but right now we need to get Morgan." Both of them stepped forward to where Morgan was lying on the ground. He was slowly moving, and Alex helped move him onto his back. His eyes opened slowly.

"It's OK, Sarah. I'm fine." He gave a slight chuckle, but it was obvious he was in considerable pain. "Thank goodness Alex insists I wear body armor all the time." He looked up and smiled at Alex, who was cradling his head in her lap.

Ellie watched Sarah talk into her sleeve. It must have been a communicator like the Secret Service used.

"We're safe here. Is everything else OK?" Ellie could not hear the reply, but she assumed it was the cavalry other end of the line. "Well, your toy works. Thanks. Bring the backup vehicle around. We need to get out of here."

Alex got Sarah's attention. "There is no need, Sarah. The colonel had me call a Blackhawk in. Its ETA is 5 minutes."

**T/A Truck Stop – North Parking Lot (Chuck's POV)**

Chuck laid down the two rifles he had. Chuck did not like to kill people. He knew it was strange for a spy. He was confident his new toy would work, but there was no way he was going to chance almost every important person in his life on it.

Sarah decided this was the best place for him. They had trained Mary Rhodes for over a year on the tech stuff. She was going to be in the van. Chuck had become a crack shot with a rifle. On the range, he had become almost as good as Casey. Bringing the two custom-made rifles was the compromise he had come up with.

He remembered the day he showed Casey his idea. He went to Casey fully expecting a negative reception. Truthfully, if this was still high school, he wouldn't have been surprised to end up with a wedgie.

"_Hey Casey, would you mind taking a look at this for me?"_

"_What is it, moron?" Casey replied with grunt number 7._

"_Come and take a look at these blueprints for me. It's something that has been on my mind for a while. Something that could add a new dynamic to the team, but I need help developing it. We could share the patent."_

_Casey gave standard growl #36; one Chuck was more than familiar with. Still, Casey looked at the plans. "Not bad, Chuck. I see you're using a plastic and carbon fiber hybrid for the casings in order to increase range. Way to think outside the box."_

_Chuck smiled. This was a very pleasant surprise. "Right, and it will allow the small bean bag to open up on impact. The tranq dart inside will take care of the rest. Then you can stroll up and decide if you want to finish the job or not. Certainly gives an operative a lot more options than an M-16 round through the skull, right?"_

_Casey pointed to the bracket where the rifle could be mounted on a tripod. "If you modify this, I think you can probably add a fifteen-round magazine. Then by making an exhaust vent, you could cut down on recoil, and cut your second shot delay in half."_

_Chuck couldn't believe it. Casey and he were actually collaborating on something rather than Casey treating him like a pre-schooler. Things had certainly changed in their time together._

_Enough idle time_, Chuck thought to himself as he shook his head clear.

He heard over his earpiece Casey announcing he was about to enter the truck stop. Chuck grabbed his tranq rifle from behind the semi-trailer tire he was lying next to and aimed it from his prone position.

When he saw the caravan Chuck started to deepen his breathing, attempting to keep it steady. He was thankful there was not a lot of wind. His entire world could be under attack any second. He had to do this correctly. Chuck loaded the rifle and concentrated on the location where the SUV was going to stop.

The caravan stopped exactly as predicted. Chuck took a deep breath. _I have to be calm. I have to be calm._ He saw Casey open the door of the SUV. However, Chuck did not see the bad guys. He only saw the smoke from the trail of the RPG. The adrenaline rush going through him was trying to coerce his body into doing something far more dangerous, but Chuck continued to concentrate on his breathing so he could take in the entire situation. A team of 5 men were headed towards Casey's SUV. They did not appear to have any RPGs.

THERE! Chuck saw another man next to a vehicle aiming an RPG. Chuck took a deep breath, slowly let it out, and found his target. He saw a second RPG go off, but he couldn't ascertain where it went yet. He slowly squeezed the trigger and felt the rifle go off. It hit the man squarely in the thigh. Chuck's aim was perfect. He couldn't risk a chest shot. He didn't know if the man was wearing body armor, and a missed shot would have given him away instantly. Chuck watched the subject go down and returned his sights to the five man team he had seen earlier. Sarah was running towards them. One of the team separated from the group, but Chuck would have to deal with him later. Chuck observed in his scope Sarah had taken out two men already. Chuck aimed at the man farthest from her and took in another deep breath. He fired again, and this time the shot impacted squarely on the bad guy's butt. Chuck allowed himself a quick smile.

He moved the scope back to Sarah and observed she had already taken care of the fourth member of the team. However, by the time Chuck spotted the last member of the team, the guy was pointing a weapon at Morgan. Chuck targeted him in the scope and was about to fire. He then saw Morgan crumple to the ground.

Chuck was beginning to shake when a small part of his mind reminded him his sister and his wife were still in danger._ Deep breath in! _Chuck yelled at himself. He took two deep breaths to make sure he was calm. He reacquired his target and pulled the trigger. The last of the five attackers went down.

Chuck got out from under the trailer. He looked back where he tranquilized the guy who fired one of the RPGs. He saw a car being started and aimed his rifle. He quickly aimed and fired at the car. As he scanned the area, he heard Mary's voice over his earpiece declaring the area secure. Chuck ran towards the SUV.

**PRESENT TIME**

"We're safe here. Is everything else OK?" Chuck first heard Sarah in his earpiece. He then heard Mary's reply.

"The agents in the other vehicles are OK. Looks like that new plating worked. Government dollars are put to good use for once. We have two Blackhawk helicopters about two minutes out."

Chuck finally spoke into his microphone. "Looks like I got two guys. You did a great job, Sarah." Chuck pressed the microphone after he heard Sarah telling Mary to get the backup vehicle. "Mary, send someone to my perch and get my rifles."

Chuck started jogging to where everyone else was. He put on a balaclava mask in order not to be recognized. On the way to the truck stop, Sarah and he decided to hide his identity until they got back to the safehouse. Ellie had enough stress over the last hour. Hopefully, nobody would be foolish enough to tell her the truth. This was a conversation that needed to be handled very carefully.

Unfortunately, he was not prepared for what he found when he reached the van. Ellie had always been cool under pressure. For as long as he could remember, Ellie handled things better than anyone he knew. It was not the case today. To use her husband's parlance, Ellie was not awesome. He saw Ellie push Devon away from her, and Chuck could see the terror in her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Get away from me! All of you! Get away from me!"

This was really, really bad. Everybody was looking at Ellie in shock. Even Casey, who was still trying to shake off the effects of the tranq dart, was hesitant. Seeing Ellie having a nervous breakdown was just as disconcerting to him as it was to Chuck. Chuck looked at Sarah. He saw the anger and hurt in her face. She was having trouble seeing Ellie in pain like this. Chuck wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and comfort her. She had done so much for him and his family. But he had to keep his distance for now and not give away who he was.

Sarah roughly grabbed Ellie's shoulders to hold her in place. She then put her hands on both sides of Ellie's face.

"Eleanor Faye Bartowski! LISTEN TO ME!"

Ellie was shaking and was beyond fearful. Sarah paused and looked into Ellie's eyes, hoping she could calm down the woman she considered her sister. Sarah's voice was soft. "I know you have a lot of questions. And I promise I have answers for you. I am asking as your sister…please. Please wait until we get to the safehouse. All of your questions will be answered."

Sarah held on to Ellie and waited until she gave a slight nod to Sarah. However, the tears increased. Sarah wrapped her arms around Ellie and held her tightly. Sarah could feel a few tears of her own. She never wanted any of this to happen to Ellie. She remembered how she felt when she found out Chuck was killed. She could only imagine what Ellie must have felt about her brother's 'death'.

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Ellie whispered into Sarah's shoulder.

Sarah gripped her even more tightly. "Don't be sorry, Ellie. I love you, sis. We all do. We'd do anything to protect you."

Chuck looked behind him. The Blackhawks had landed, and the crew chiefs for both aircraft were heading towards them. Casey got the group's attention.

"OK, everybody. We need to get out of here and quickly. Grimes and Alex, take the Woodcombs and get them on the Blackhawk closest to us. Sarah and…some of the rest of the team will go on the other one."

Chuck knew Casey was still drowsy from the tranq, but this was Casey's wheelhouse. Besides, the instant Chuck opened his mouth, Ellie would erupt with a thousand questions. Now was the not the time for those questions.

The crew chiefs approached Casey as the group split up and headed to the helicopters. Casey looked at the 2 men. The chief from the closest helicopter looked like a recruiting poster. The name on his uniform read Sergeant King. The other man was older, not as muscular, but his mannerisms spoke volumes to his experience. Colonel Casey did not have to look at his name tag.

"I didn't know they let old men ride in Blackhawks, Buckley."

"Only when they need someone to save the ass of another old warhorse, Colonel," Chief Warrant Officer Buckley replied.

Casey smiled and shook his head. "OK, the people you are carrying are either agents or vital national security assets. And those assets are having a really lousy day. Please be careful with them. The brunette is close to a breakdown. Treat her with kid gloves, OK?"

Casey looked at the group going to the second helicopter. "Buckley, do you see the blonde and the guy with the balaclava mask?" Buckley nodded. "Those two are the best partners I have ever had. Take extra special care of them."

"I will, Casey. See you later."

Chuck made it to the helicopter. When he entered the Blackhawk, Chuck put on a headset. When he looked at Sarah, she held up three fingers. Chuck turned to the proper channel and nodded to her

"Can you hear me, Chuck?"

"Definitely. How are you feeling, Sarah?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't think anyone hit me, but something is hurting me. If I wasn't pregnant, I would think it was my period."

Chuck stared at Sarah. "Sarah, is it the baby?"

Sarah's eyes shot up as the blood drained from her face. She looked directly at Chuck. The look in Sarah's eyes scared Chuck to his core. This was the first time he had seen that look.

Chuck reached in front of him to tap the chief on the shoulder and found out what channel he was on.

"Chief, I need you to get someone from the other helicopter. My wife is pregnant, she is in pain, and there is an ER doctor in the other helicopter."

Buckley switched channels and communicated with the other helicopter. Two minutes later, Sergeant King was escorting Ellie Woodcomb over to the helicopter. As soon as she entered the aircraft, the chief hooked a harness onto her and the helicopters took off for the safehouse.

Once in the air, Ellie slid over to Sarah. The chief jerry-rigged a harness to Sarah to allow her to lie down in the chopper.

"Sarah, what's wrong?"

"Ellie, I'm having pains in my abdomen."

Ellie's face completely blanched. "Sarah, where is the pain, and is it dull or short?

Chuck forced himself to sit in his seat. Sarah had the good sense to give him green contacts to wear. He put on a helmet, which obscured him enough to keep Ellie at bay until they got to the safehouse. This was not the place to let her know that he was alive. Helicopters didn't take well to screaming, emotional, pacing women in them. Chuck kept looking at Sarah. He so wanted to be by her, at least he could stare at her.

Chuck heard something being said on his headset. Sarah must have turned on the microphone to let him hear.

"The good news, Sarah, is that it looks like everything is fine. Actually, I am a little surprised your heart rate is as slow as it is. The doctor in me says that it's not the first time you have..."

"Ellie, it's OK. As soon as we get to the safehouse, I'll answer every question you have."

Ellie was crestfallen. Being kept in the dark was not something she enjoyed, and this day had pushed her to the breaking point. "I'm just so used to being in control. I'm scared."

Sarah took her hand. "Ellie, I promise you one thing. You will remember this day fondly for the rest of your life."

At least Ellie could take comfort, in that the ride to wherever they were going was short. Ellie didn't know how much longer she could keep the questions in. Something else, however, was starting to make her blood boil. It was that damn green-eyed soldier boy who had hopped on the helicopter with Sarah. He kept making googly eyes at her. Didn't that jackass know Sarah was a widow?

_I'm gonna give that jackass a piece of my mind, _Ellie thought to herself._ Oh yes, he's gonna learn not to have designs on my brother's wife._

**If you have a thought about this chapter please review. This chapter was more involved than anything I have ever written. Suggestions, comments and insults are all welcome.**

**A quick shout out to ATCDAVE, thank you for helping me calm down. I was really disturbed that someone, who doesn't review a lot, made the comment that the quality of the writing was less than in the past. Well if you don't review, how can someone improve? So comment, or don't complain when you think people aren't watching.**

**Finally there is a Hunt for Red October Reference in the chapter. I'm curious to see who catches it first.**


	4. Ellie vs Truth

_**A/N Please remember that when the idea of this story came to me, Ellie still did not know Chuck's secret. I always thought that someone as smart as Ellie would know something was going on. Also Shaw died in Paris and the governor is a politician in California. **_

**I just want everyone to know this chapter stunk. I rewrote it 3 times, I changed the ending of the entire story. Through all that Joe and Dave never told me I lost my mind. Supesfan18 gave me great advice, and helped me sweep up the plot bunnies. He also threatened to make me watch the last 15 minutes of the mask over and over till I finished this chapter. **

**Finally, Thanks PJ Murphy. He went above and beyond the call of duty. In fact, if you like the chapter thank Supes and PJ they wrote the good parts.**

**I hope you enjoy. **

**Previously on chapter 3**

_"Ellie, it's OK. As soon as we get to the safehouse, I'll answer every question you have."_

Ellie was crestfallen. Being kept in the dark was not something she enjoyed, and this day had pushed her to the breaking point. "I'm just so used to being in control. I'm scared."

Sarah took her hand. "Ellie, I promise you one thing. You will remember this day fondly for the rest of your life."

At least Ellie could take comfort, in that the ride to wherever they were going was short. Ellie didn't know how much longer she could keep the questions in. Something else, however, was starting to make her blood boil. It was that damn green-eyed soldier boy who had hopped on the helicopter with Sarah. He kept making googly eyes at her. Didn't that jackass know Sarah was a widow?

_I'm gonna give that jackass a piece of my mind, _Ellie thought to herself. _Oh yes, he's gonna learn not to have designs on my brother's wife._

_**Chapter 4**_

"Sir, we will be landing in five minutes." Chief Buckley told Chuck.

Chuck stood as tall as the cramped accommodations in the helicopter would permit his 6'4" frame to do. He looked over at Sarah, who had her eyes shut. Sarah could feel his gaze on him and opened her eyes. Chuck raised all five fingers on his right hand and pointed to his watch on his left wrist. Chuck hesitated, glanced at Ellie, and sat back down. He wasn't sure if Ellie caught his not-quite-innocent gaze at Sarah, and he didn't want to risk tipping Ellie as to his actual identity.

Ellie was furious. This guy did it again, and Sarah let him do it. _Why is she letting this guy do that?_

_Chuck only died a week ago. _

Chuck reached to his left and bent down to grab an item out of his bag. Sarah glanced in his direction. If Ellie was furious for the man staring at Sarah, she considered what Sarah just did reprehensible.

_Did Sarah just look lustfully at that commando's ass?_

Ellie was fuming as the helicopter landed. Questions on top of questions entered her mind as Buckley helped her out of the helicopter. Sarah stood next to Ellie and motioned to a house she could see through a bunch of trees. The house made Ellie feel like she just stepped on to the Southfork ranch from the TV show _Dallas_. The center of the structure looked Victorian, but the first floor must have been expanded over time, making a large, sprawling manor. If she wasn't so angry she might have liked it here.

Once through the front door, Ellie noticed a sitting room/living room. At first appearance, the house was quite modest, but the furniture was of some expensive quality. Ellie looked around the room. For some reason, she was having a severe case of déjà vu.

_Have I been here before?_

Ellie watched the jerk who had been looking at Sarah walk past the kitchen area and down a hallway. Devon and the others had not entered yet. Sarah told her they wanted to land one helicopter at a time for security reasons. Ellie took a few more steps into the house and turned to face Sarah.

"Why didn't you tell that jackass where to go?"

Sarah was shocked. "What do you mean? What jackass?"

"Whatever his name is wearing the ski mask. He wouldn't take his green eyes off you. Chuck's body is barely cold. I guess I just expected more from you."

"Ellie, there is a simple explanation. Ch..." Sarah was interrupted by the front door opening. Alex, Morgan and Devon walked in.

Devon saw Ellie's disturbed expression. "Hey babe, how was the ride?"

"Fine. Fine. I was waiting for Sarah to answer a question I asked." She turned towards Sarah with a fiery gaze. "And Sarah, if you say it's complicated, I swear I am going to lose it. How DARE YOU TREAT CHUCK'S MEMORY THAT WAY!"

Devon went quickly to step in between Sarah and Ellie, but he was interrupted by a voice behind them.

"I am pretty sure Chuck would not like you talking to his wife that way."

All eyes turned to the entrance to the hallway.

Ellie looked at the small, older woman standing there. Ellie was getting more upset by the minute. Just when she was about to get some answers, this tiny woman walked up and interrupted her. In the corner of her eye, she saw Alex and Morgan become rigid, as if they were standing at attention. The fire red hair and attitude to match of the diminutive woman only added to Ellie's feeling of familiarity.

_Where have I..._ Ellie put the pieces together. "Auntie Diane?"

"Yes Eleanor, it's me. The memory of the Bartowski clan never ceases to amaze me."

"Right now I don't think you want my memory to amaze you." Ellie closed the gap between Beckman and her, looking ready to rip the general's head off. "You had a hand in this, didn't you? It wasn't enough that our mother and father were involved in the spy world, but you had the gall to bring my brother into it. It's your fault my brother is dead. If you hadn't gotten him involved in the spy business, none of this would have happened!"

Everyone else in the room was stunned. The general looked like she had been physically slapped.

Beckman tried to contain her frustration but was starting to lose her self-discipline. Her voice rose gradually. "I am trying to appreciate that you were thrown into a dangerous situation and that the last eight days have been very difficult. But you'd be dead right now if I didn't send that team to retrieve you. So do not lecture me about putting people in danger when you don't even know what is going on. I went to great risk to do this because you are an important part of the family. And you have a lot to live up to with the Johnston family heritage." Beckman took a deep breath. "Eleanor, please remember you raised Chuck to put others before himself. You cannot get mad at him for doing what you taught him."

Ellie wasn't deterred. "The Johnston family heritage be damned! Mom left to keep us out of it. Dad went crazy over it. And it cost Chuck his life! You are so damned lucky I am not a violent person."

Devon stood up and put his hands on Ellie's shoulders. "Babe, why don't you come sit down, and we can talk about this."

She whipped around, angrily shaking his hands off her shoulders in the process. "You! You have no right to tell me to calm down! You could have told me the truth!" Devon nervously stepped back. "You've known since we've been married. This is why I am so mad. All the lies. Any time I said anything, everybody would just write it off as crazy, paranoid Ellie. Well no more! I've played the fool for far too long! Now that I have been dragged into this world, I refuse to keep quiet anymore!"

No one moved. No one dared to attempt it. After what seemed like forever, Ellie heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw the jerk who had been messing with Sarah earlier.

"Who is this jerk?" Ellie looked ready to make this man the first violation of her Hippocratic oath.

"That, Eleanor, is _Special_ Agent Charles Talley," General Beckman replied with a tiny hint of a smirk. "Although I can understand why you might think he's a jerk. He is a royal pain in the butt, and he is the most unusual agent working for the federal government. But he's also been one of the most successful, too."

Agent Chuck Bartowski/Talley gave his best impersonation of Casey grunt #4: amusement tinged with disbelief.

General Beckman continued. "He has been given the task of making sure Sarah and her baby stay safe."

Ellie's cold glare at Talley could have instantly solved global warming. "Who's going to protect Sarah from him? The entire ride to this place, he didn't take his eyes off of her."

Beckman looked at Chuck. "Eleanor, I am trying to explain the... oh, the hell with it. Agent Talley, would YOU like to explain the situation?"

Chuck walked to Ellie but resisted the urge to hug his sister. Ellie looked at the eyes of Agent Talley. Her mouth dropped open in shock. The eyes were no longer green, They were a warm dark brown. The same warm dark brown eyes she knew almost all of her life.

"Chuck?" Ellie was shaking. The frustration and anger she felt since landing was immediately replaced with exhilaration. "You're alive!"

"Yes Ellie," Chuck said as he took off his mask, sporting the widest grin on his face. Immediately, the quiet room erupted in a chorus of questions. Ellie lunged forward and hugged her brother. Chuck was knocked off-balance but righted himself with Ellie in his arms.

Suddenly she pushed away from him and was back to being angry. "Why didn't you tell me?" Ellie then turned on Sarah. "And you! I thought you were my sister!"

"ELLIE!"

Ellie stopped and turned to Chuck again, but it was easy to spot the fire in her eyes. Ellie looked over at General Beckman. "Aunt Diane, if you would excuse us, I think I need a private discussion with my _little_ brother."

Beckman gestured down the hallway. "Please use my office. It is the third door on the left."

The two siblings walked down the hall to General Beckman's office. Chuck allowed Ellie to enter first. When he looked at the office he was quite surprised. The wall closest to the living room was an exact replica of the wall he had seen hundreds of times before in D.C. The rest of the room looked like any other office. One wall displayed Beckman's various educational degrees, commendations, plaques, awards, and ribbons. He had seen a wall like that before. Casey told him military personnel often made such a wall at home for their families to see their accomplishments. It was called an "I Love Me" wall.

Chuck closed the door, and Ellie laid into him. "All this time, you lied to me Chuck. You lied to ME, your sister!"

Chuck looked down at the ground, overwhelmed with guilt about what he did. "Lying to you is one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. The only way I could keep you safe is by lying to you."

"It's my job to protect my little brother. Just because you're some sort of 'secret agent man' doesn't mean I no longer do my job."

Chuck took a deep breath before continuing. "Ellie, what happened today shows how dangerous my life is. I didn't want you involved in that."

Ellie was hardly mollified by this. "Chuck, I promised Dad a long time ago I'd protect you. I have always taken that promise seriously."

"I know. Ellie, you protected my sanity. Believe me, I would not have made it this far if not for you. Do you remember right before you went to Africa how screwed up I was? I thought I went too far because I was desperate to get Sarah back? Do you remember what you said to me?"

Ellie nodded. "I said you didn't go far enough. I told you Sarah was the best thing to ever happen to you. I wanted you to get her back and not stop until you did."

Chuck smiled. "You made sure I knew Sarah loved me. You always knew she did, even when I didn't believe it. No matter how bad things got, I could always hear your voice in the back of my mind. You were always perched on my shoulder, keeping me sane. And I know I don't say it enough, but thank you for everything you've done for me. I am so sorry to keep you in the dark all of this time, but I had to protect you as well."

Ellie smiled. She spent so many years taking on the roles of both mother and sister to Chuck, and sometimes she forgot he could be just as protective of someone. After all, he learned from the best, right?

She took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Chuck. "Love ya, little brother."

Chuck returned the warm embrace. "Love ya, sis."

Chuck took as deep of a breath it as he could as Ellie's grip tightened. Sarah usually showed how she felt in subtle ways. A smile here, a kiss there, the occasional pencil embedded into a picture frame. Ellie, on the other hand, decided to test your ability to breathe by hugging you like a vice. Given how much he made Ellie suffer over the past week, he allowed her to prevent oxygen from entering his system till he was seeing stars. Still, a line had to be drawn.

He desperately tapped at her back. "Um.. ELLIE. Can't. Breathe. Help!"

Ellie's eyes widened, and she immediately let go of him. "Oh. I'm sorry, Chuck. Maybe one of these days I will learn my own strength."

"Yeah, sis. That might not be a bad idea."

Ellie cleared her throat, and her mood turned serious. "Chuck, I have a question. I mean, there are so many. However, there is a question that I cant figure out. I know..."

Chuck looked her in the eye and took her hands. "Ellie, I love you, and just as important, Sarah loves you. Just tell me what it is."

"A couple of years back, there was something going on with you. What happened to Shaw?"

Chuck looked down at his shoes. He couldn't hold his sister's gaze. "El..." Chuck took a deep breath and forced himself to look at Ellie. "He damned near destroyed everything. I still have nightmares about it."

Ellie stood in silence as she listened to Chuck explain about Daniel Shaw and how he almost lost Sarah on the bridge in Paris. Ellie could see the life go out of Chuck's eyes momentarily, but then almost as fast a sparkle came back to them.

"In the end, Sarah said I saved her. But really, Sarah saved my very soul." He looked at the ground again before continuing. "Ellie, please don't ask Sarah about Shaw. It's just too painful."

"I won't, Chuck." Ellie hugged Chuck briefly and without cutting off his air supply. "I think it's time to join everybody else, don't you?"

"Before we do, I have to ask what is the deal with 'Auntie Diane'?"

Ellie took a deep breath. "It's been a long time, and the memory just popped in my head, but I can only remember bits and pieces. Once I put it together, I'll let you know."

Chuck and Ellie left the office and headed toward the sitting room. After a few steps, Chuck gently grabbed Ellie's arm, gesturing for her to stay there and not say anything.

After a few seconds, Chuck could hear Morgan talking to the group.

"...didn't even find out about Chuck being alive until after the funeral." Morgan's voice became more and more boisterous. "Chuck tried to get in touch with me earlier, but Beckman had him sedated."

Sarah cut in. "That's one of the things I love about Chuck. The big picture is not always important. I do love that man"

Ellie looked at Chuck and noticed the grin plastered all over his face.

"Chuck, it's not polite to eavesdrop," a voice called out from the sitting room. A couple of snickers went up from the crowd. Chuck looked down in embarrassment as he walked slowly into the room. Beckman caught him. Ellie walked in behind Chuck and caught the big smile on Sarah's face. That shouldn't have surprised Ellie. Sarah was a wreck for the days after finding out about Chuck's death...or supposed death. If Ellie was feeling this much relief, she could imagine what Sarah must have felt when she found out Chuck was really alive. Ellie also felt a lot of regret for yelling at Sarah earlier. She made a mental note to apologize to her sister-in-law later.

The crowd quieted down when they heard Diane clear her throat. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to break up this family reunion to deal with a few matters of security. Eleanor, why don't you take a seat with Devon and Sarah. Chuck, your special talents are required in the conference room. Casey and Mary needed you to look at some things before they return."

Sarah looked at Chuck. They both shared a quick smile and then nodded at each other. Chuck headed out of the room. Sarah slid to the corner of the sofa, and Ellie sat in between Devon and her.

"For the purposes of this briefing, I am going to start at the beginning to get Dr. Woodcomb fully up-to-date. Eleanor, this will take some time to explain, and I don't doubt you'll have endless questions. But please hold any questions until I have told you everything."

Beckman had a sip of the drink she was holding and took in a deep breath. "I'm sure you remember Bryce Larkin."

Ellie's face immediately soured. "All too well. I never did forgive him for what he did to Chuck at Stanford."

"Bryce wasn't an accountant as you originally thought. He was an agent for the CIA. In September 2007, on Chuck's birthday, Bryce sent him an email containing thousands of images. Those images were actually part of a supercomputer called the Intersect. It was a computer designed to analyze all of the data that various intelligence agencies gathered. The computer could mine for patterns and detect possible security threats. It could see things our best analysts couldn't. Those secrets were encoded into images. Someone who was exposed to an image would know the data encrypted within it. Chuck saw those images. All of them. All of the secrets that the government possessed were downloaded into Chuck."

Ellie looked at Beckman in stone-cold silence for a moment. "Are you saying Chuck's brain was able to handle that much information simply from observational correlations?"

A smile came over Beckman's face. She probably knew Ellie was going to be a doctor before Ellie did. Ellie saw Sarah in the corner of her eye. For a brief second Sarah frowned and then went back to the impassive expression she had before. _I wonder what that was about, _Ellie thought.

"Yes, that is the process." Beckman continued. "At that time, we thought it would be possible for agents to have all the data implanted through these images, thus creating Intersects that could be used in the field to give us an informational advantage over our adversaries. They could receive updates through the Intersect computer. Both parts of the project failed. The Intersect computer was destroyed. The majority of agents who attempted this either died or were mentally incapacitated for life.

"We have now come to realize that less then one-thousandth of a percent of the human population can handle even a small amount of the Intersect. And even fewer than that can handle all of the images. Chuck is one of those people. We realized that Chuck was not only unique but was also vital to the security of the nation. We had two agents assigned to keep him safe and to help Chuck use his...special skills. The National Security Agency assigned Colonel John Casey, who was a Major at that time. The Central Intelligence Agency assigned Agent Sarah Walker."

Ellie looked over at Sarah. "You were assigned to protect Chuck?"

Sarah nodded slowly. Ellie closed her eyes and remembered everything over the past 8 years.

_How much was real?_

Beckman must have been reading Ellie's mind. "Eleanor, before you ask the question you doubtlessly have in your mind, I want to tell you a quick story. In the fall of 2007, months after Chuck's birthday, an agent came to see me in D.C.

"_General Beckman, thank you for seeing me on such short notice," Agent Bruce Cardinal said._

"_Not a problem, Cardinal, as long as it is important."_

"_We may have a problem with the Intersect program. I am not sure how much longer Agent Walker can stay uncompromisable in her present assignment."_

"_Are you saying Agent Walker is emotionally involved with the asset?"_

"_Not yet ma'am, but the signs are there."_

Ellie heard a quiet voice next to her. "That no good son of a..."

Beckman cut Sarah off before she could say any more. "The point of the story was that, even within the first months of the project, I knew Sarah was, shall we say, becoming emotionally entangled with your brother. So don't even start to worry about whether their marriage is the real thing. I assure you, their love affair has been the bane of my existence. The only reason I did not split them up was the Intersect would then become ineffective. Therefore, I decided to keep them as a team."

Beckman took a deep breath before continuing. "From that point on, Team Bartowski had the best success record of any of my teams. At the same time, the nightmares they caused me..." The general shook her head in disbelief as she pointed at Sarah. "I don't doubt they shaved ten years off my life with all of their dramatic tension. If you ever have a week available, they might tell you what happened. To make matters worse, Colonel Casey, the man I thought was my most trusted agent, lied to me on a daily basis. Casey thought he could keep me from finding out about Romeo and Juliet. On top of that, Chuck's lack of professionalism prevented me from taking a vacation for four years."

Beckman's voice softened. "Eleanor, I know you blame me for a lot, but trust me when I say I have suffered immensely."

Beckman's phone interrupted her. She looked at the caller ID and pressed the Talk button.

"Beckman, secure. OK, I'll be there in a few seconds." She stood up. "Excuse me. It appears my presence is required in my office." She immediately walked down the hall.

In spite of the many questions Ellie had answered over the last several minutes, the most important one continued to echo in her mind.

_Why am I here?_

**OK onto the reviews.**

**Coreymon77 I am hoping for some more Chuck and Sarah cuteness soon **

**I have a section written next Chapter. I have a double dose planned for the next episode.**

**Blackcat 252 Ellie's gonna break chucks ribs with the hug! **

**I hope you liked the hug.**

**Elysion1879 I look forward to Elli raging in the next chapter. **

**I was amazed how many people wanted Ellie rage. I hope it was good enough.**

**Ms-mezzy, rockchick4jc, ltdarkstar, atc dave, admiralseajay, tynianrex Thanks for the reviews!**


	5. Answers

**A/N1 I am sorry this took me so long to update. I want to thank PJ for getting this out to me so quick even though he was working on some Huge chapters.**

**Joe I am sorry I had to do this to your character. Supesfan18 made me do it!**

**Supes, CJ, SFC you know who you are. Thank you not only for your help, but your friendship.**

**If you are just starting to write go to Castle Inanity online. There are some great tips for authors there. **

**Thank you to my beautiful wife, and great daughter. Thank you for putting up with all my chuck stuff. **

**Please make sure you answer the question at the end.**

Once the General left, Ellie looked at Sarah and began to say something, but Sarah cut her off.

"Ellie I know you have thousands of questions, and I want to answer each and every one. But first the general is going to have you and Devon sign some forms." Sarah hesitated. "Also, I have a couple of confessions to make."

Ellie continued to stare at Sarah. Sarah couldn't tell if Ellie was mad or not, but Sarah had wanted to do this for years. She kept the truth a secret for far too long. It was time for the charade to end.

"When I first met your brother, he was just a job, a mark. But within the first 15 minutes of meeting him, I knew special Chuck was. He ignored me to help this frantic father who forgot to record his daughter's ballet recital. Forgive me if I sound a bit arrogant, but most guys bend over backwards to get my attention. I didn't realize it at the time, but in that moment I was reintroduced to love. It's a day I'll remember forever. Although there were a few days I'd rather forget. Such as your original wedding in the church. A little bit of that was my fault."

Ellie nodded. "You said a couple of things?"

"Yes, I am sorry for all the lies. The lies I told you and all the pain you had to endure over your brother. I know you feel betrayed, and I can't tell you how many times I wanted to tell you the truth."

Ellie sat in silence. She couldn't deny feeling betrayed by everybody. By her brother, by Sarah, by Devon, even by Morgan. But as much as it hurt to live the lies, she realized there was something greater than her, than all of them, going on. And regardless of the hurt she felt by their betrayal, she did not doubt for one second that Sarah and her brother were in love.

"Sarah, I love you. You've been like a sister to me for so long. But what all of you did hurt me deeply. I understand why you did it, but it will take me time to come to terms with it. We will work it out together. That I do promise."

Sarah watched Ellie's eyes. They had been narrowed in anger for a while, no doubt from the highly dangerous and stressful day they endured. But now Sarah saw her eyes soften, and Ellie's gaze was back to its soothing caramel color. Ellie put her arms around Sarah and gave her a hug.

"Sarah, I know you wanted to tell me the truth. I always had that feeling. One of these days we will talk about it. I have always known that you loved Chuck."

It was then Ellie experienced something she never had before. She was the recipient of an Ellie Hug.

"Sarah, Sarah…can't…breathe."

Sarah grinned and released Ellie. "Thank you, sis."

"Anytime."

General Beckman returned to the sitting room. "I just finished talking to Colonel Casey. He will return in twenty minutes. Chuck is doing his…analysis…as we speak."

Ellie looked directly at Beckman. Ellie ran her fingers through her hair and looked towards Devon. He knew what that little gesture meant. He moved next to his wife and placed his hand over hers on her lap.

"Umm...General, now that we know Chuck's secret, well, we have some questions," Devon said carefully.

"Dr. Woodcomb, I understand your feelings, but I'm afraid you don't have the proper clearance to possess that information."

Sarah moved forward to the edge of the couch. "With all due respect General, they have earned that right. They have been vetted concerning the fact that Chuck is the Intersect. The clearance for that is higher than most mission reviews. Besides, there will have to be decisions made very soon. It's only fair to allow them to make an informed decision."

"Agent Bartowski, I agree that they should be granted full disclosure, but I am not sure if they are ready for it yet. The incident at the truck stop was less then two hours ago."

Everyone else in the room was watching the scene as if it was a tennis match. Their heads moved back and forth between Beckman and Sarah.

"General, I got Chuck through it, and he was less prepared than the Woodcombs. We can get Ellie and Devon through it, too."

General Beckman took a long breath in and slowly let it out. She glanced at the Woodcombs. "Devon and Eleanor, it appears Sarah has extended her protective feelings towards those she loves to you two. I have no interest in starting a war between the four of you and myself. I just do not have the energy."

Beckman picked up her phone and dialed a number. She put the phone to her ear. "Please get security to set up the Woodcombs for level TS-6. Have a polygraph brought to my office." She paused for a moment. "On second thought, just have them bring the DoD-2902 short form on my authority."

Beckman listened to the other side of the conversation. "Any other complications? Good."

Beckman hung up the phone and then looked at Morgan and Alex. "Would you two please bring the Woodcombs to my office to sign the papers? By the time that is complete, we might be able to start the briefing."

She then looked at Sarah. "Chuck is asking for some Tylenol. However I was made aware you have come up with your own treatment that is…more effective. Agent Bartowski, would you like to attend to his needs?"

Sarah detected the twinkle in Beckman's eyes. Sarah looked down and to the left. She felt a slight blush at the base of her neck. "Yes ma'am," she replied.

Ellie missed the look on Sarah's face as she went to Chuck. She instinctively went into doctor mode. "Aunt Diane, should I look in on Chuck? Is he OK?"

Beckman looked at Ellie while trying not to give anything away. "Eventually, that is my plan. But Chuck is in no immediate danger. He sometimes gets headaches. Nothing to be alarmed about. We'll let Sarah play doctor for now."

**Los Alamitos AFB**

Corporal Evan Dean picked up his cell phone, and dialed a number. Being 5'3", he was relatively short for military service, and the fact he was thirty pounds overweight meant that his career was almost over. There was no way he would be able to pass his next physical. On the good side, at least he would have some extra money to retire on.

_Thank you, Tom Knox, _he thought.

When the other end of the phone picked up, he heard Tom's voice. "Hello?"

"Tom, this is Dean. The man you are going to get the info from is Joe Buckley. He is one of the crew chiefs of the Blackhawks. Buckley has been involved in stuff like this since George Washington crossed the Delaware. He is your best bet to find the woman you're looking for."

"Thanks, Dean. If your information pans out..."

"Oh it will."

"If your information pans out, the money that we discussed will be deposited into your account within 12 hours."

He hung up the phone. George didn't feel the need to tell Dean what his real name was. Dean was trivial to his mission, as was Joe Buckley. But they made accomplishing his task much easier. George Adams only had one thought on his mind.

_I have you now, Sarah Walker_.

**Conference Room**

Chuck was staring at a computer screen, but he was not looking at it. He would look around, but the walls were painted _blah_. While the _blah_ table could hold 20 people comfortably, Chuck wondered if it was bought at a _blah_ meet. He was just in the corner of the room where a _blah_ desk was holding a really nice computer. The name Andrew Patel kept ringing in his head. The picture they had of the vehicle triggered his Intersect. According to his flash, Andrew Patel was a financier of Fulcrum. They could never tie him to anything. However, it was the rest of his file that had him in a daze.

Chuck was lost in his thought until he felt two hands gently massage his shoulders and then slide down his torso until Sarah's head was resting on his shoulder. He took a deep breath in, and slowly let it out as he felt his headache disappear.

He heard Sarah's angelic voice in his ear. "How are you feeling?" She added a few kisses to influence his decision.

Chuck's shoulders relaxed instantly. "Tension all gone! So much better now. I wish I could bottle this feeling up. Not only would we make a fortune, but I would give it to Casey intravenously."

Sarah laughed. She stood up and slid Chuck's chair backwards. She then she sat in his lap and rested her head on his shoulder again. "Would you like to tell me what's bothering you?"

Chuck lowered his head. "It looks like our past actions have caused unanticipated reactions yet again."

Sarah sat up and looked at Chuck. He gently brushed some hair away from her face. "It seems the attack was personal. Mr. Patel has one daughter. Her name is Lizzy." Sarah's eyes got wide at hearing the name. She was crestfallen at the fact that someone wanted revenge simply because she defended Chuck.

"It looks like someone has made our destruction personal again," Chuck sadly admitted.

"It won't be the first time Chuck, but hopefully it will be the last."

Chuck looked at Sarah with a questioning expression. "You mean Sarah Walker doesn't want to be a kick-ass ninja girl anymore?"

"Chuck, I will always be that, but I can't be a parent and a spy."

He smiled. "I'm sure you can do both. You're Sarah. You can do anything."

She kissed him deeply. No matter how bad things got, Chuck could always put a smile on her face.

"How is Ellie doing?" Chuck asked

"Devon and she are signing release papers. All this time she knew that you were working for the government. Wow."

"She is right about how we all underestimated her. I wish we could have done this sooner."

"Chuck, these things happen for a reason. Thinking like that will drive you crazy."

**Beckman's Office**

"Morgan, If Chuck is such a great spy, why does he need all this protection?"

Ellie and Devon sat and looked at the mountain of paperwork. In spite of being far calmer than she was a few hours ago, Ellie was still frustrated by being in the dark about so many things. The looks Morgan and Alex had on their faces indicated they weren't completely comfortable being the first people Ellie got to question.

"At first Ellie, Chuck needed that protection. For reasons that I can't explain 'til you sign the paperwork. But that has changed. The protection is now for Chuck's family."

"Why us?"

"Ellie, please sign the paperwork," Morgan replied as he fidgeted in his seat.

When Ellie did not immediately sign, Alex spoke up for the first time. "Ellie, I know this is overwhelming, but Sarah would never have allowed you to sign those papers if it wasn't in your best interest. I remember when I first signed something like that.

**Casey's Apartment - Two Years Ago**

Alex paced around the room nervously. As much as Morgan tried to calm her down, it was not working. Casey stood off to the corner not saying anything. He really didn't know how to explain it to her, and he was trying his best not to let his lady feelings interfere.

Morgan tried to help. "Alex, baby, look I know we have all been hiding things from you. I know that Casey explained a little bit, but if you want you and your father to move forward, if you want us to move forward, we need you to sign these papers."

"What father?" Alex muttered as she sat down defiantly in a chair. The ten consecutive days of torture by members of Hussein's Imperial Guard twenty years ago hurt Casey far less than the two words Alex just spat out. Sarah had been leaning against the wall. She stood straight up when she saw the pained expression on Casey's face.

"Enough! You guys had your chance. Now it's time for me and Miss Alex to have a little talk."

Casey and Morgan quietly walked out of the room. Sarah sat down in front of Alex and looked her straight in the eye. "I'm not going to throw a father's love, or a boyfriend's love, or even friendship into this. You were thrust into a world that you know nothing about. Your father…and yes, he is your father…brought you in for your own safety, but now it's time for you to know the whole truth. You have two options. You can sign these papers, and you will know everything there is to know about your father, your boyfriend, and Chuck and me. However, if you don't sign these papers and break that man's heart out there, you will not only have my foot lodged up your ass, but I will make sure you never hear from Morgan again. Understood?"

Alex nodded, as she was afraid to do anything else. Sarah softened her posture a bit. "Alex, I think you're a great kid. You have a great head on your shoulders, and you have the potential of being a great agent yourself. You take after your father. But know this: John Casey is the best partner I have ever had. Without him, I would not be with Chuck. So I never want to hear the phrase 'you're not my father' come out of your mouth. Clear?"

Sarah went to open the door. She stopped and turned around. "Alex, we would only offer to tell you everything if it was in your best interests for us to do so. Normally it's better for you to know nothing. But sometimes we have to trust people. Don't betray that trust."

**Beckman's Office**

"OK OK, I get your point. I will sign the papers." As soon as the 'I' was dotted on Bartowski, Ellie

looked at Morgan. "Signed, sealed, and delivered. Now spill, Morgan."

Morgan visibly relaxed, although having to explain this to his childhood crush was still a little disconcerting. "Chuck's whole life is his family. He will do anything to protect them. Including playing a crash test dummy." Morgan smiled as he thought of the commercials with the dummies.

Devon raised an eyebrow. "That's all great and everything, but why is the government interested in Chuck's family?"

"We just aren't sure if what makes Chuck special is genetic. Besides if anything happened to us, especially Sarah, it would be bad."

Ellie's voice quieted in concern. "What do you mean?"

Morgan fidgeted. His knee started to go back and forth until Alex spoke up. "Morgan, it's OK. They need to know. Let them help protect Chuck."

Ellie's eyes focused directly on Morgan as he continued. "Ellie, last year Beckman sat me down and told me the secondary mission of Team Bartowski. Weird as it sounds, it is to protect the world - from Chuck."

Ellie gave a threatening look Casey would be proud of. "What do you mean protect the world from Chuck?"

Morgan slid his chair away from Ellie and put both hands up "Don't go all Casey on me. All I know is that even the Colonel is scared of what Chuck is capable of. We don't know what he might do if his family was in mortal danger. He might go all Chuck Norris on someone, and that's just the least of it! You will have to ask the Colonel, Sarah, or the General for more information."

Morgan looked into Ellie's eyes and started fidgeting again. "OK, I may have heard a few things. I normally don't listen in." Morgan gave Alex a look when she let out a snort. "I try to stay to myself."

Ellie and Devon cut off Morgan at the same time. "Morgan!"

". Chuck has some crazy superhero powers. He hasn't tapped into most of them because of how dangerous they can be. I really can't explain more. Let's go back up front. The general wants you there..."

**Living Room - a Few Minutes Earlier**

Sarah and Chuck entered the living room and saw General Beckman was sitting in a chair by herself reading a report. It was an unusual sight. Neither Sarah nor Chuck had ever seen this side of Beckman. They sat down and watched her for a moment in fascination.

When she looked up from the report, Chuck was the first to speak. "So, am I cleared to know why I should call you Auntie Diane?"

Sarah and Chuck were shocked to see a slight redness appear on her cheeks and on the sides of her neck. Now Chuck knew why he did not see her security detail in the room. _Auntie Diane _had anticipated this conversation.

"The simple and logical answer is that I am your mother's sister. The answer to the second question on your mind, is once your father left, I respected his wishes for you and your sister's safety and stayed away."

Chuck's eyes narrowed and his voice dripped with vitriol. "So my aunt ordered my death. This should be a good story for the family reunions."

"Chuck, I understand the bitterness. I really do. When I authorized the order to eliminate you right before Graham's death, I was not given a choice. In some ways, I am also bitter. But there is more. Chuck, I have some information for the both of you, and I would like to talk about it before everyone else shows up. It is something the two of your will have to discuss at great length later, but I want it done with the utmost care. Few people know about it, and I want to keep it that way."

Chuck rubbed his temples and looked up at Beckman. "If you tell me that Sarah is my sister, I will not be happy. I already found out you are my aunt. I would like that to be the only revelation I hear today. Besides, this is way too close to a freaky _Star Wars_ thing for me."

"There is no chance of that. Besides, Chuck, you are thinking of the wrong sci-fi universe. It's more along the lines of _Star Trek_. Think Vulcan."

Sarah's eyes went out of focus. Part of her was glad that Chuck's relative was trying to get involved in his interests, but not sci-fi. Besides, maybe there was something to this 'AU' Chuck kept talking about. _Beckman getting into science fiction?_ And she thought she had seen plenty of bizarre things since being assigned to this job.

Sarah felt something change in the room. When she looked at Chuck she saw a cold fury that she had only seen when someone tried to betray his family.

Chuck's face started to turn red and the words almost exploded out of his mouth. "Are you telling me that Sarah and I were some part of genetic experiment to build the perfect spy? You made us suffer all that time, and then you decided you wanted us together? Do you mean..."

"Chuck!" Beckman reacted as if she was slapped across the face. "It's not that sinister. Besides, there is no way I could have ever forced you to fall for a woman. How did I know this? Oh yes, your two handlers couldn't even get you to stay in the damned car. Besides, when Sarah became your handler I had already put a stop to the program. My uncle was the last one to run the program. Devon and Ellie were the last people to go through the program. Devon's family was well connected, and with your genealogy, it was thought they would make a prefect couple. The family just made sure that Ellie and Devon met. Besides, even if I had not stopped the program it would have ended on its own. Unless of course, you decided to have a bunch of kids.

Chuck's face fell when he glanced at Sarah. He saw her blushing. _Did Beckman know we talked about having a bunch of kids? _He was shocked, until he felt the heat on his own neck and realized he could not point any fingers.

General Beckman, the strictest woman he ever knew and whom he often despised, was telling him that she wanted him to have more kids?

_OK, it's official. I am now in Bizarro world._

Chuck spoke calmly, but the undercurrents of anger in his voice were hard to ignore. "I hate to disappoint you, but I think I will be the last spy in the family."

Beckman sat quietly for a second. "Chuck you may not believe me, but this family has done enough. The matchmaking ended with Ellie. The cost has been too high. The country has been helped by the Intersect, but this family has paid a heavy price. To be honest, I just want to have some young relatives I can spoil rotten." Beckman shook her head slowly. She suddenly looked like the woman who had lived through all that she had. Her skin had a slight grayish tone. "No one should have to manipulate a family member in the way I had to. It almost cost you your life, and it cost me a family."

Chuck was about to reply when he could hear the rest of the team coming down the hallway. As they entered the living room Beckman's phone went off again.

"Beckman, secure. OK, Colonel." She hung up the phone and immediately dialed another number. "I need you to bring a light lunch to the conference room."

Beckman looked around the room at everybody. "I think now would be a good time to have a light lunch. I have something special planned for dinner."

When John Casey entered the room he was surprised to see Ellie and Devon sitting on the opposite side of the table. She was sitting next to the general and Devon was sitting next to Alex and Morgan. Casey quietly grunted, acknowledged the room, and sat down from the other side of Beckman. Agent Rhodes sat down between Casey and Sarah.

Casey looked at the general. "I assume since the Woodcombs are here, that they are now read into the program."

"They have been read in, Colonel, but they will not be allowed into all operational activities. I will decide on a case-by-case manner."

Casey looked at the rest of the group. "We were able to get some intel from the truck stop."

Casey looked at Mary and nodded. She pressed a couple of keys on her laptop. The lights in the room dimmed, and on the wall farthest from Beckman appeared a picture of an older gentleman. He looked of Middle Eastern descent. His graying sideburns made him look distinguished, but there was intense anger in his eyes.

Casey began the briefing. "His name is George Adams. Like the others, he must have met Patel when he worked with Fulcrum. George went rogue after his second mission failed with them. The first was not really a failure on his part, but the rest of his team was captured when they tried to kidnap a CIA operative. He was in the air when it happened. Fulcrum, in a rare display of charity, decided to give him a second chance."

Chuck took a deep breath. "On the second op, he was a handler to a deep cover agent assigned to find out information about the Intersect. During the operation, he fell in love with that agent. Her name was Lizzy Patel. So now we know why. But we need to get ahead of them."

Beckman looked at her watch. "I have some meetings that I need to attend. I'll be back in 60 minutes, and after that we will adjourn this meeting." Casey nodded in the general's direction as he continued the briefing while everybody nervously sampled the food that was brought in.

Sixty minutes later General Beckman addressed the group as she walked into the room. "OK, time's up. Does anyone have any questions?"

Ellie looked at Beckman. "I have a question. What is the second priority of the team?" Everything seemed to stop. Everybody's head whirled in her direction. "I was told there is a second objective."

When Sarah looked at Morgan, he looked as if he was trying to figure out what the texture of the walls was made of. Then she looked at Ellie. "I am not trying to avoid the question, but what were you told?"

Ellie continued. "I found out that there was something else that the team was responsible for that doesn't include the spy stuff."

Casey let out a deep, loud grumble but stopped when he saw the look from across the table at Alex.

Morgan looked at Sarah and Casey. He suddenly wondered if one of Chuck's new talents was invisibility…and if he could borrow it. "It's Ellie."

Chuck spoke up to stop any potential discussions about surgically removing Morgan's tongue. "Sarah it's OK. I've known for a long time." Chuck leaned over and squeezed Sarah's hand. "I understand the orders," he whispered in her ear.

Chuck turned back to his sister. "Ellie, right after your wedding I made a choice. It was a choice that caused me a lot of pain, but at the same time my life is better because of it. I was given a way to access special abilities. To this day, we are still not sure what the extent of these abilities is."

Chuck took a deep breath and squeezed Sarah's hand. "But Ellie, in order for me to use some of these skills…well…let's just say you wouldn't recognize the person that I might become. If I ever became that person, no one would be safe around me. It would be Casey's or Sarah's job to make sure the world was safe from me…by any means necessary. They are the only ones who could do it."

Ellie looked at Sarah and visibly shook. "You would do this? You would actually…"

The color had drained from Sarah's face. She looked from Chuck to Ellie and back again. "Ellie, I would make sure Chuck was safe, but I also have to make sure you are safe, too. If Chuck ever got to that point...I would have no choice but to protect the family."

Ellie just nodded since she was too terrified to do anything else. She leaned into Devon, who was rubbing her on the shoulder.

General Beckman stood up at the table. "I know this day has been extremely hard on you, Eleanor. I wish I could make it easier, but unfortunately I am about to make it more stressful. Now that Chuck's ability is out there, and he has officially died, a lot of changes have to be made."

Beckman looked over at Sarah. "Sarah has already made her decisions. Next week, Sarah is going to be 'killed'. A week later Chuck and Sarah Talley will move to the Northern Virginia area. They will be your normal suburban family who works in D.C.

"Unfortunately Eleanor and Devon, I do not think you will ever be safe again in your old life. I can arrange for you to go into witness protection. That way, you will be able to stay in touch with your families. Unfortunately, you would not be able to practice medicine ever again, since it would make you too easy to find. The other choice would allow you to practice medicine, but we would have to put Devon's family through a serious tragedy. You would have to fake your deaths."

Beckman stepped back from the table and gave a warm smile to Ellie and Devon. At least as warm of a smile as she could generate. "I know this is a lot to take in, but understand we're doing all of this to keep you safe. At this point, there will be no other meetings today. At 8 tonight, I have a surprise for everyone. In your rooms you will find attire appropriate for the evening. Unfortunately, I have some things to take care. I will see all of you at 8." With that she walked out the door.

Casey looked at Alex. "Alex, would you mind coming with me? I need to take care of a few things, and you would be a tremendous help." As he got up Casey grabbed Mary's arm. She walked out behind him, with Alex and Morgan following closely behind.

Sarah leaned over to Chuck and rested her head on his shoulder. She let out a sigh. "How are you doing, Chuck?"

Chuck already had his head on top of hers. "I'm doing fine, but then I'm not the one who is pregnant."

She gently caressed his face. "I'm fine." Sarah sat up again and looked across the table. "Ellie and Devon, are there any questions right now? If not, we have a few hours to relax."

"Sarah, I just don't know. Am I angry? Am I anxious? Am I confused? Probably all three. All I know is this. Yesterday I was a doctor, and now I have to decide what I am. All because my brother has these secrets in his head."

Chuck squeezed Sarah and let out a quiet laugh. Ellie was not amused.

"What is so funny, Chuck? In fact, I have a better question. Why am I here?"

Devon spoke up right after his wife. "Chuck, you have been doing this for a long time, and we have been here for…" Devon looked at his watch. "…about 3 hours, and we just found out we either have to hide or pretend to be dead? Not cool, bro. Not cool at all."

Chuck's smile faded. "Guys, we realized this morning that since I was supposed to be dead, my direct family might be able to handle the Intersect. So that puts you in direct danger." Chuck placed his hand on Sarah's stomach. "And thanks to the Johnsons, our child might be able to handle it, too."

Chuck kept staring at Sarah's stomach. Sarah gently put her hand over Chuck's. "We took so long to tell you about the choice because we wanted you to realize what is going on and make an informed decision. Chuck was never given that choice. We have spent the last 3 years with that plan in place. Up until last night, we never thought we would have to enact it."

Ellie stood up and placed her hands on the table. "Look guys, we have a lot to talk about. But right now, I need some time to myself. I'll see you in a few hours."

**Master Sergeant Joe Buckley's Home - Later That Day **

Joe Buckley entered his house very late and very frustrated again. He was originally going to take his wife and grandkids to the movies and then to dinner. Instead, his family was going to his daughter's house about an hour away and would stay for the night. This was the one thing he regretted about working with black ops teams: they kept forgetting to check his schedule before a mission came up. Even though the mission had been over for hours, he was expected to have everything ready at a moment's notice before he left. Then he had all kinds of paperwork to do. Joe knew it wouldn't work, but he was going to try to put in a request for a staff NCO for the small unit they had.

He placed his keys in the tray next to the door, and entered the kitchen to grab a beer before he watched some TV. _Maybe I'll listen to some music and surf on the Internet tonight._ Besides, there wasn't anything decent to watch on the tube. He grabbed a beer from his fridge when he heard a voice behind him.

"Sergeant, I am really sorry about this, but I need you to put the beer down and turn around."

When Joe turned around he saw an almost forty year old with jet black hair wearing a t shirt and jeans. The thing Joe noticed the most was the .45 in his hand.

"I apologize sir, but I believe you have the wrong house." Joe figured playing it calm might get him out of this alive. Unfortunately he did not know who he was dealing with.

"Joe, I need you to answer one question for me. If you answer it honestly, you will live through the night. What time will your wife be home tonight?"

Sergeant Buckley looked at the man and tried to figure out the best response. "She will be here in twenty to thirty minutes. So get what you want, and get out."

The man laughed. "I know you're not a rocket scientist Joe, but I will be leaving soon…with or without your cooperation."

Joe now knew he wasn't going to get out of here alive. He lunged for the pistol hidden by the buffet table in the dining room as he felt the leads of the taser enter his body. As the voltage entered his body, he had one last thought before losing consciousness. _At least Margaret and the family will be safe. I hope she doesn't find me._

**A/N2 OK I have 2 choices, I have the first half of the next chapter written. It was originally going to be the conclusion to this story. My other option is to write the complete chapter, which will take at least a week to finish. Please let me know what you think by hitting the review button.**

**Just to let you know the chapters ahead will be intense. Chuck will become the "Destroyer of Worlds." In order to do that the world will be extremely harsh to our favorite nerd. **


	6. End of the Beginning

**A/N There are a lot of really bad reasons why this was late. I need to focus on my writing, but Chuck vs the Coma and Chuck versus Futures Past are so good. BTW you are going to see a flurry of great stuff from futures past, and the next chapter of the Coma is nothing short of spectacular. **

**I want to thank Joe and Dave from Chuck This. Joe, Bill, and CJ thanks. Also, a special shout out to PJ Murphy who is doing a great job as my beta, even though he is working crazy hours. Thanks for making this better.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Chuck, but I have seen an African Swallow. **

**Johnston House  
**  
"Chuck, it's going to be OK. It will take time, but it will be OK," Sarah said from the bathroom as she was getting ready for Beckman's special dinner.

Chuck held his head in his hands "Sarah, I understand that it will eventually be OK. I just wish it wouldn't take so long. You heard them. It wasn't like I was trying to listen. They are both kind of freaking out. Maybe I should just..."

"We talked about this, Chuck. They need time. What we told them today is a lot to take. But look on the bright side; at least the General got our clothes for this evening instead of Casey." Sarah walked out of the bathroom as she finished her sentence.

"Sarah I am having trouble understand..." Chuck stopped dead when he saw her emerge from the bathroom. Starting from the floor, his eyes slowly moved from Sarah's ankles and traveled up her body. She was wearing a stunning red dress with a slit going well above the knee and showing off more than a little leg. The outfit looked like she was poured into it. By the time his eyes got to her torso he was becoming numb, although he was certainly glad to be looking.

That's when he noticed it. Just barely visible was a small baby bump. It may not have been obvious to a casual observer, but for an experienced Sarah watcher such as himself, it was noticeable.

_That is our child in there!_ When Chuck's eyes finally met Sarah's, they were twinkling.

After a few seconds, he realized he should be saying something. "You never cease to remind me just how beautiful you are. Have I told you that lately?"

She gave him a dazzling smile. "Chuck, the look in your eyes is enough. Now stand up. I want to fix your tie." Sarah took a step forward to linger within inches of her husband while he complied. Chuck immediately put his hand on her abdomen, and the couple shared a knowing smile. Then, a cloud came over Chuck's face as Sarah fixed his tie.

"Now please tell me why we are getting all dressed up for this thing," Chuck said softly.

"I don't know Chuck, but if this gorgeous dress is any indication we are going to have a night we will always remember."

With mere inches separating them, Sarah recognized that look in Chuck's eyes. "Baby, we can't do anything, no matter how much I want to end up a sweaty mass of exhaustion on that bed."

Chuck and Sarah stood close to each other for what felt like an eternity without speaking or moving.

"God, you are beautiful," he said as he gently held her chin and moved in slowly. Chucks lips barely touched hers but the feeling conveyed made the world right for that moment. They slowly separated as he stared into her crystal blue eyes. When their lips met this time, the electricity sparking between them caused goosebumps to spring up over their entire bodies. They pressed their lips together harder as Sarah opened up her mouth to accept his invitation. To say the sensation was magical was to shortchange it.

_Here I am at a relative's house that I never knew I had, and I am with this gorgeous creature. Gorgeous inside and out. I'm not just kissing her; I'm disappearing again. Whenever I am not Chuck, I am a part of Chuck and Sarah. It is when I truly feel at peace. _

Chuck heard a contented sigh from his wonderful wife and smiled. As they deepened the kiss he ran his hands through her hair, and his peaceful sensation intensified. After a second or two, he could not remember his name, only that he was kissing a beautiful angel.

When they slowly separated Chuck gazed into those cobalt eyes. He closed his eyes again and touched her forehead. "Well, that was unexpected."

Sarah looked at Chuck and gently caressed his face. "Have I ever mentioned how glad I am you answered that email from Bryce? If I had never come to Burbank, I never would have fallen in love with the sweetest, most caring man I've ever known."

"I love you, too," Chuck replied.

Sarah took a step back. "Chuck, I am pretty sure even though she is now Auntie Diane, I think she would still want us there on time. Why don't you go see if Casey is ready. I'm sure he is really looking forward to this."

Chuck took a deep breath to get his composure. "No problem," he replied. "I am sure this dinner will make his day. I will see you in a bit. I love you." He turned towards the door, but he turned back to his wife. "After we eat, would you like the first dance?"

Sarah grinned. "You know I do."

When Sarah spoke those words, Chuck was headed to get his phone on the dresser. He stopped in his tracks. It reminded him of the first time he had said that to Sarah. He stood there facing away from Sarah, with all the good memories of when he first met his kick ass ninja girl.

"Chuck, are you going to check on Casey?"

Chuck turned suddenly and was a little annoyed he was just standing there lost in thought. He nodded sheepishly. He went to Casey's room, received the grunt he expected, and headed to the dining room.

He stood in front of an old oak door that led to a basement of sorts and recalled the conversation he had with Beckman. He had asked why there were two basements in the house.

"Chuck, the conference room used to be a wine cellar. When I took over management of this property, I determined the old basement could not be set up with the secure equipment that I wanted for a west coast meeting area. I had the wine removed, and we put up the conference room.

Chuck's curiosity got the better of him. "What happened to the rest of the wine?"

"For some of it, we added a small room to the back of the house." She continued as the sides of her lips turned slightly upward. "The rest of the bottles are at an undisclosed location in Northern Virginia. I have them in a place where I can keep them on almost daily surveillance."

Chuck opened the door to the dining room and concluded it should be on the cover of _Better Homes and Gardens_. Chuck's eyes were immediately drawn to the center of the room where an enormous chandelier dominated the space. Its light bathed the room in a soft glow. The heavy oak table had a mirror-like finish, and the legs and borders were hand carved. The table was long enough to fit the six large, ornate chairs around it quite comfortably. He had spent enough time following his sister all over creation looking for furniture or whatever to realize table set in front of him was really expensive.

_Is my family wealthy_?

Chuck went to the far side of the large dining area where there was a metal door. He flipped the latch to the door and pulled it open to reveal another large room at least 40 feet from one end to the other. There was a reception area with hardwood floors and a bar right next to the door on the left-hand side, along with an entertainment center on the right. Artwork hung on both sides of the reception area as Chuck headed to the entertainment area to see how it was set up. He examined the entertainment center closely and saw it was a SPECTRON system.

_Impressive! I wonder what Call of Duty would sound like on this. _

His thoughts were interrupted by a presence next to him. When he looked to his side, General Beckman gave him a wry smile. "I hope you like this, Chuck. I asked them at the store to send me the very best. I really am trying to make my family as comfortable as possible. "

Chuck smiled back. "Well, they did not steer you wrong. This system is really good."

Chuck's head swiveled when he heard a voice coming from the door to the dining area. "I should have known you'd find the entertainment system in this place."

Chuck walked over to Ellie and embraced her. "Love ya, Sis."

Ellie put him on the receiving end of her patented Ellie Hug. "I love you too, little brother."

Chuck kissed Ellie's cheek. "Make any decisions?"

Ellie gave her brother a knowing smile. "Shouldn't you already know? You're a spy!" Ellie giggled at seeing her little brother squirm. "Chuck, we have made a decision, but don't you think we should wait for everyone to be here before we announce anything?"

"Bro, don't worry," Devon said as he clapped Chuck's shoulder. "We made a decision, and we are happy with it. In fact it is…"

"Awesome!" Chuck interrupted Devon with a huge grin.

"Chuck?"

Chuck turned and saw Sarah at the doorway. He walked to her and gently cradled her face in his hands. "Hey, gorgeous." Chuck drew her face to him and gave her a warm, tender kiss.

Sarah slowly broke the kiss with every ounce of self-control she could muster. She looked at Chuck with quiet exasperation. "Chuckkk…"

He exhaled deeply. "I know, I know. Tonight."

**Formal Dining Room**

General Beckman stood up in the formal dining room when everyone had arrived. "It has been almost 30 years since we had a formal dinner in this house. I want to welcome the new family to this home. Since being the head of an intelligence agency has its perks, I got Gary Danko's to bring us dinner." With that the general sat down.

Ellie perked up. "Oh I've heard of that place. I hear it's really good."

Once dinner was completed, Beckman asked everyone to stay for a moment. As servers finished picking up the empty plates, Beckman looked at the Woodcombs and tilted her head to peer through her glasses. "I overheard you have made a decision as to your future?"

Devon gently grabbed Ellie's hand and looked over the room. "Guys, you have always been so awesome, between Chuck being…well, Chuck…and Sarah and Casey for keeping us safe. You may have heard us arguing earlier, but that was just us deciding when to tell you. After all you have done to keep us safe, witness protection would never work for us."

When everyone finished congratulating the Woodcombs, Beckman grabbed a set of keys and handed them to Ellie. "Eleanor, it is up to me to pass these keys to the new matriarch of the Johnston family holdings."

You could have heard a pin drop in the room and bounce twice. "Excuse me; are you giving me the keys to this house?" Ellie barely squeaked out.

"Yes Ellie, I am. This house has been the vacation house for generations, and now it's in your charge. Although there is one stipulation. This will remain a vacation home, and first priority belongs to anyone in the intelligence community. Those keys also signify the twelve pieces of land that we receive money from that gets added to a trust fund set up to renovate and rebuild the house if it ever required."

Sarah remembered the pictures on top of the mantle in the living room. "I knew you said there were spies in the family, but you make them sound like they were all spies."

"Sarah, in one way or another they were. How many secrets does a married couple keep? We treated this as a secure retreat so everyone can talk freely. Just remember that when you invite people here. There is one other thing. In less than a month the building will be completely renovated. We want to update everything, so it's all going. Even out in front of the house, the crew will remove the shrubbery."

All eyes turned to Chuck when he replied in a strange voice. "Bring us a shrubbery."

Casey shook his head, and Devon raised his eyebrows at the outburst. Sarah, Ellie, and Rhodes had a small smile on their faces.

Beckman stood up and grabbed her phone. "I am headed back to D.C. We will meet tomorrow around 1 PM. I want some contingency plans ready for me at that time." Beckman walked toward the door but stopped and turned before she departed. "Oh, and Chuck? Ni!"

**Sgt. Joe Buckley's Home**

Sgt. Joe Buckley knew he did not have much time. After they gave him the syringe of who knows what and beat the crap out of him, he thought it was finally over. Then he heard the laugh, and that no good son of a bitch shot him.

_Ahhhhhh, this hurts_. The fact that he was still alive surprised him. Buckley knew the round must have just missed his heart. But he could already feel the tightness in his chest. From all his combat life saving training, he knew the symptoms of a collapsed lung. It was getting harder and harder to breathe.

As he looked back where he had dragged himself, he could see the smears of his own blood across the tile floor.

_If I could just reach the drawer in the magazine rack. Ugh, it is so hard to breathe._

He reached the drawer and found the emergency cell phone.

**Johnston House **

John Casey was leaning against the wall in the living room with thoughts of enjoying a good cigar on his mind. He felt his cell phone go off in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw a text message.

_Secure phone ASAP. 555-2183._

Casey jogged to the other side of the house. It was a long thirty seconds.

Casey dialed the number and put the phone to his ear. The phone answered on the first ring, and it was not what he was expecting…or wanted.

"Casey, listen…don't have time…they know your location…"

The voice went silent on the other end. "Joe, you there?"

"They…they don't know about the guy, Casey. Casey…Helen…"

It was the one word Casey did not want to hear from Joe. Those types of promises were ones you never wanted. But they were also the ones you did whatever it took to keep. "I will."

Casey heard nothing but strained breathing in return, which suddenly ended. "Joe…Joe!"

Casey slowly ended the call. He lowered his head. "Son of a bitch."

Casey straightened himself and texted Chuck

_GET TO CONFERENCE ROOM NOW._

At least the moron always had his phone on him. Casey would have texted Walker first, but he had no clue where she would have hid a phone on that outfit. For that matter, he never understood why she put in the effort like that when the nerd had a crush on her from Day 1.

Chuck got to him a few minutes later, and Casey was not happy. "Hey moron! What's the point of using caps if you don't pay attention to it?"

Casey cut him off before Chuck could reply. "I got a call this location is no longer secure."

The panicked look on Chuck's face was confirmation enough to know the message was received.

"I need you to try and find out more info on George Adams' tendencies. While you're doing that, call Beckman and let her know what's going on. I'll go and tell your much better half.

Casey quickly departed, and Chuck went straight to the desktop in the corner of the conference room. He grabbed his phone and called Beckman.

"Beckman, secure."

"Chuck, secure."

"Agent Bartowski, didn't I just leave there?"

"Yes ma'am, but Casey told me that he was informed we are no longer in a secure location. We are requesting an emergency evac."

"OK, Chuck. I'll get someone over there quickly. Please check with the security team to see if they need evac as well."

"Hold on, General. I'll let you know." Chuck put his phone down and grabbed the phone on the conference table. The number he dialed went straight to voice mail. He tried it a second time before speaking to Beckman again. "General, I'm not getting an answer on the phone. The video feed from outside the complex is also down. I'm notifying the team, and I'm putting the house on lock down."

Chuck hung up the phone and texted Casey. "Lock down the house." Chuck accessed the complex's security system on the computer in the room. He typed a series of commands into the system, and the shutdown sequence began. Chuck followed the surveillance on the interior monitors as steel sheets covered all the windows. The image showed extra deadbolts sliding into the exterior doors. When the security program indicated all points in the house secured, Chuck slowly stood up from the desk and thought about what was going on. His fear was rising quickly.

**A/N 2: I will try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible. As a thank you for those of you that respond, anyone who responds to this chapter will be able to name an expendable henchman for chapter 8. I will also have something special for the first person who catches the movie reference in chapter 7.**

**Thanks for reading my...stuff. Please review.**


	7. Pay Back will be a Bitch

**A/N This chapter is the first of two chapters that set up a much more intese story. I am sorking on the 2nd part, and I am 3000 words in. My goal is to have it out by Halloween.**

**I want to thank PJ Murphy for the beta. All the hard work he does in cleaning up these stories is always appreciated. Also thanks for catching the screw ups after publishing.**

**Supesfan18, ArmySFC, Admiral Sajay and Nirvana12 thanks for all all the help. This Chapter was a bear.**

**Finally thank you to Joe and ATC Dave. You two are my conscience and I thank you. Please go to CHUCK THIS blog to help participate in their plan to thank the advertisers of Chuck. Help make SEASON 5 a reality.**

**BTW don't own Chuck. **

Chuck looked at the screen and reread the synopsis concerning Tommy, Adam's partner.

_Subject prefers brute force when trying to take out a target. Methodology for kidnapping involves isolating the target and eliminating nonessential personnel via explosives. His weapon of choice is the M224. _

Chuck suddenly flashed, and the images going through his mind turned worry into full-blown panic. A high explosive sign...a Daisy...a tank...a bee. He quickly searched for the information he needed.

_The M224 Mortar System is composed of the M225 Cannon, M170 Bi-Pod , M7 or M8 Base Plate , and the M64A1 Sight Unit. The mount consists of a bi-pod and a base plate which is provided with screw type elevating and traversing mechanisms to elevate/traverse the mortar. The M64A1 sight unit is attached to the bi-pod mount. The mortar can be fired in conventional mode or hand-held mode. The smooth-bore system can be gravity-fired or fired by using a manual spring-loaded firing system. _

Chuck blinked several times and one thought entered his mind.

_Bastards are going to try and take Sarah! _

Chuck picked up his phone and called Casey. The line was busy. "COME ON!" Chuck looked at his phone and called Devon.

"Bro! Where are ya?" Devon's mood was jovial, but that was about to change quickly.

"Devon - get Sarah on the phone. Hurry. Hurry!"

Chuck heard some rustling, and Sarah came on the line. "Chuck, what's wrong?"

"They are going to use a mortar on this house and soon, Sarah. Let Casey know."

"Got it."

"You and the baby are the target. I think we are about to get hit!"

There was a pause for 10 seconds that felt like it lasted an hour. Chuck just stared at the computer screen.

"OK, Chuck - I'll get everyone safe and find you."

"Sarah, I just checked the specs on the house. The shelter I'm in will prevent thermal imaging, and will stop just about anything short of a MOAB, so get them over here before anything starts, because once it does, the doors automatically slam shut, and I can't open them for twenty minutes."

"Got it, Chuck. Casey suggested calling in a Predator. We need eyes in the sky."

Chuck immediately pressed a few keys on the keyboard. When the right number came onto the screen, he looked at his phone and jabbed the keys frantically. When Chuck heard the other end answer the phone, he was glad he had his voice synthesis program set to 'Beckman.'

"Colonel Sanders, this is General Beckman," Chuck spoke into the phone, although Colonel Sanders would never know it was him. "I need Predator surveillance at my last coordinates – where I stood thirty minutes ago."

"This is Colonel Sanders, General. The only one near your area has four hours of flight time left. Will that be sufficient, General?"

"I will take it, if it's the only thing in the area. Thank you. I'll have a tech call the base in 3 minutes."

"No problem. Diane, are we still on for drinks when I am in D.C. at the end of the month?"

Chuck involuntarily shuddered at the thought of Beckman having a romantic moment. "Call me in a few days and we will see. I am in the middle of a situation right now."

He hung up the phone and looked at the surveillance cameras in an attempt to find something...anything...to give to his team. Dammit, I should be able to find something!

Chuck picked up the feed from the Predator ten minutes later. He connected with its navigation computer and flew the craft around the perimeter trying to find Adams. The Predator located three men a thousand feet from the house and Chuck flashed on seeing them. He immediately got on his mobile phone and held down the "1" button.

"INCOMING!"

Chuck could hear Sarah scream at the group. "Get back!"

And in one instant his whole world changed.

BOOM!

Chuck lost the house feeds, but the power to the bunker stayed on. However, the security doors shut as he expected. He navigated the Predator in position to see what was going on. He also tried to hack into the security system to override the twenty-minute timer to the safe room door. When the Predator's camera gave him a good angle of the house, he was shocked. There was a huge opening in what was the living room of the house. The mortar must have struck the chimney right above the roofline. The Intersect was telling him there should be a lot more damage; still there was a fifteen-foot section of roof that was no longer there, a wide hole in the house.

He panned to the outside of the house and saw an eight-member strike team entering the hole. Immediately he saw one of the bad guys fall. He then saw someone shoot inside the house. It was quite a long view from the Predator, but that did not stop his blood from growing cold. He saw Adams' team carry a body out of the house. It didn't matter if the angle was strange, or that the distance was a bit far, but he saw them carrying his wife and yet-to-be-born child out of the area. His only consolation was she appeared to be moving around, and there were no red blooms on her clothes.

He started working the keyboard again, but he had to stop and take a breath. Shattering the keyboard because he was hitting the keys too hard would not help Sarah. He knew why they wanted her. They want our child. So they should be safe...for now. What about Ellie?

When he got a better shot of the house, he couldn't tell much. He did not see anyone else, but this was not the Predator's strong suit.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM

"Bastards!" He grabbed his chair and slammed it against the wall. As he grabbed and threw it to the other side of the room he couldn't stop thinking about what they were doing to him. They sent more into the house. They were trying to kill his team, his family. With the exception of Sarah, every person he loved was in the house._ I know I'm physically safe, but I don't know how much more I can take._

After several deep breaths, he pulled the chair back to the desk and looked at the tactical readout of the Predator and saw it did not have any munitions on-board. He lowered the nose of the Predator to angle it directly at Adams' team as they were headed toward a pickup thirty yards away. Chuck got a small smile on his face as he effectively turned the Predator into a guided missile headed for the men who attacked his family.

When the screen went blank, Chuck went back to unlocking the door. After a minute or so Chuck breathed a sigh of relief as he heard sounds coming from the door. Just a twist and it was open. Chuck left the safety of the shelter with shallow breaths, a 40 cal pistol, and his heart beating well over a hundred times a minute. He rounded the corner and walked up the stairs to the main house. Long before he got to the ground floor the smell of dust and smoke hit his nose like a ton of bricks. He turned and punched the wall, putting an appreciable dent in the sheet rock.

Chuck felt the handle of the door to make sure it wasn't hot. It wasn't. He opened the door. A cloud of smoke and debris hit him hard, but he was undeterred from trying to find where his family was. He turned the corner into the living room, and the scene that awaited Chuck looked like something out of an old war movie. Destruction was everywhere. It looked weird to see roof tiles scattered among the floor that was higher than earlier due to the floor being completely covered in debris.

Remembering his knowledge of what to do after an earthquake, Chuck took his time and slowly walked through the rubble in order to keep himself from falling down. When he got to the other end of the open area that used to be the living room, Chuck saw a hand and part of an arm sticking through the wreckage of the house. He abandoned his safe approach and slipped and slid his way to the body that must have been underneath the rubble. He got to the person and removed the old pieces of the house on top of the person. He was relieved to see Mary was still breathing. Shallow and ragged though her breaths were, she was still alive. Chuck wiped off her face, and she opened her eyes. When she saw who it was she grabbed his shirt and tried to tell Chuck something, but all he heard was a squeak.

Mary took a deep breath and wet her lips. She tried again, but her voice was at the level of a whisper.

"Chuck, they took Sarah. I think they're headed to L.A. They mentioned the 5."

Chuck started to open his mouth, but a tear ran down Mary's cheek and got stuck in her dust-covered hair. "Chuck, the last mortar hit on the other side of the door. They're gone. All of them. Call Beckman. Kill the sons of bitches."

Chuck looked into Mary eyes and nodded. "I'll make sure an evac team is on the way."

The next thing he knew, Chuck was back in the shelter trying to get in touch with Beckman. Chuck had no idea how he got back there or how long it took. It could have been twenty seconds or twenty minutes.

After the third attempt at calling her, he hacked the call Beckman was on to see what was happening.

"General Beckman, are you arguing with me?" Chuck didn't recognize the other person.

"Director, I am not trying to argue with you. I am trying to suggest we should not make any decisions right now. This team has never failed us, sir."

"Diane, I understand how you feel. I do. But I…we cannot allow a baby who might be able to handle the Intersect fall into enemy hands. I am telling you to order a strike on her location once it is found."

Chuck turned off the feed and put his hands over his face. His chest shook as he allowed himself a silent cry. After a moment, he forced those feelings down. He had to save Sarah. She was the last of his family left.

He grabbed his mobile phone and sent a text to Beckman and to the person who ordered her to authorize an air strike against his wife and child.

Dead ...Ellie, Devon, Morgan, Alex, Casey...it's all too overwhelming.

Suddenly he stopped. He no longer wanted to cry. In fact, every emotion he ever felt in his life drained away. All of it was replaced by a single purpose, a single thought. A voice echoed in the back of his mind he didn't recognize.

It's killing time. The voice had an unfamiliar tone, but it was his voice.

If he had a degree in psychiatry, he would have analyzed this moment as his proverbial 'breaking point." Someone just took his family and friends away from him. And now he could lose the woman he loved and the child he was about to bring into the world. Nothing else mattered now. Not Beckman, not the CIA, nothing. He had only one purpose in life now: to find his love and eliminate those responsible for taking her. He completed the message on his mobile phone.

I need 24 hours to save my wife. I have become…no, I AM the Intersect. Get in my way and you will regret it forever.

When Casey heard Sarah scream her warning, he pivoted on his right leg and grabbed Ellie, whom he knew would think before acting. He got her moving back towards the second shelter. Behind him he heard Mary's voice.

"I am going to back up Sarah!"

Just as she entered the archway, the first mortar went off. Ellie felt a hand hit her shoulder, causing her to lose her balance. When she righted herself and turned around, she saw a large piece of aluminum lodged in Casey's shoulder.

At that point her training took over. She yelled to her husband, who was two steps ahead of them. Devon turned and saw the injured Casey and his wife already trying to take care of him. He closed the

distance and helped Ellie with Casey. There was considerable damage, but stopping the bleeding was priority one.

"John, how are you feeling?" Casey's first instinct was to try and get up, but the pain and loss of blood was too much for him to function properly. He let out a dull roar and fell forward on his stomach. Ellie felt a pair of hands pull her out of the way as Devon and Morgan grabbed Casey. Alex was right behind Ellie. Her voice had an inflection that reminded Ellie of herself around her interns.

"We need to get him under that old table in case they try to shell us some more."

The guys pulled Casey under the table. Ellie put a hand on Morgan to push him further down the table. Morgan moved out of the way to let the two doctors tend to Casey. He checked to see if Alex was OK, and then he ran toward the back of the shelter to get the first aid kit. He opened it and inhaled in surprise. Did they expect this to happen? Come on, who puts a scalpel in a first aid kit?

Morgan dove under the table and handed Devon the kit. "Morgan, did you see any tampons or pads back there?"

Morgan was incredulous. "Bombs are going off, bad guys could be here any minute, and you're worried about feminine hygiene products?"

Casey growled. "Listen, dummy. That feminine crap is a great way to stop bleeding. Now get off your ass and go get me some..." Casey's voice slowly trailed off as he passed out from his injuries.

Alex started to get up from under the table, but Morgan put his hand on her shoulder. "Stay here under the table and protect the Woodcombs and the Colonel. I'll get it."

Ellie and Devon worked furiously to stabilize Casey. Alex looked at Ellie and Devon. "How bad?"

Devon spoke as if he was in the middle of Westside Medical Center. "Between the first aid kit and the tampons and pads, we were able to stop the bleeding. He lost a lot of volume, but clearly it will take a lot more than that to kill our own John Wayne here."

Alex looked into Devon's eyes, and a chill fell over her. There is more. "What aren't you telling me, Dr. Woodcomb?"

Ellie answered this time in a subdued voice. "Alex, the metal plank may have damaged some nerves in his shoulder. There is a good chance that he will only retain half of his range of motion in that arm. I know I don't have a lot of experience in espionage, but I doubt he'll ever be able to work as a spy again."

In all the time Alex and Morgan had been together, Morgan never understood about how frustrated Chuck was when he couldn't read Sarah. Now it made complete sense. Alex's eyes looked sad, yet there was still a faint twinkle in her eye. She bore a somber face, and yet Morgan could see the edges of her mouth twitching upward. What is she thinking?

Morgan's introspection was cut short by his father-in-law. "I figured Bartowski would end up being the death of me. I guess I'm too damn stubborn to let him do it, no matter how hard he tried."

"Dad, it's going to be OK," Alex said. "I am sure we can get you back..."

Casey interrupted Alex. "This was my last mission. Once I got Ozzie and Harriet to D.C. I was done."

Ellie put a hand on Casey's good shoulder. "John, I need you to save you're strength. We need to move you away from here because under this table is not the most sterile environment."

When they heard the muffled sounds of a pistol being fired, Casey kept his head still, but he did not have to look at anyone with the tone he was using. "Alex, I want you to check and see what's going on. Do not engage them! You're primary responsibility is Ellie and Devon. Chuck is secure, and Sarah can take care of herself. As far as Mary goes, well, she's not a rookie and she knows the rules. Frickin' kids, I will take care of this crap myself."

Devon put a hand on the small of John's back. "I know you want to go the full Rambo on them, but there is no way you can do this. Right now you couldn't stand up with all the knitting I am going to have to do on your back as soon as I can get you to a safe place."

Alex returned to where the group was. "Besides, there is nothing we can do," she added. "They won't budge from all of the debris. Now would be a good time to get you from under this table."

Casey's voice took on a bit of an edge. "Look I may not be able to run a marathon, but how many skulls am I going to have to crack before you listen to me? Under this table is the safest place from any more explosives they use. So we will sit tight till we know it's OK."

"Do you think Sarah is going to be OK?"

Casey turned to Ellie as she asked him the question. He couldn't miss the fear in her voice.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM

The last explosion rocked the walls, the lights went out, and silence filled the room. Other than the occasional cough from the all of the smoke filling the room from what must be complete carnage throughout the rest of the house.

Ever since Special Agent Sarah Lisa Bartowski of the Central Intelligence Agency had become pregnant, she had felt angry, happy, sad, horny, grumpy, euphoric all at the same time, and sometimes not at all. She had been married to Charles Irving Bartowski for several years, and she needed every moment of that time to prepare her for all these emotions.

Right now though, she was feeling an extremely familiar emotion. Right now Sarah was pissed off. She cleared her head and stood up after being knocked out from the concussion of a mortar. The large hole in the house where there once was a wall was impossible to miss. She felt her forehead and felt some blood trickling down. It could be worse. As Sarah checked to make sure that she was not injured anywhere else, she continued a survey of the room and saw Mary lying on the ground covered by debris. Mary appeared to be underneath what must have been the remnants of the chimney that was no longer there in the form of brick, mortar, and dark soot. Sarah grabbed a dust-covered hand that was free of the rubble and felt a strong pulse.

Over a career that spanned over a decade Sarah had learned to always pay attention to her inner voice. It had saved her life many times, but she was annoyed with herself at that moment. If only I paid attention sooner to it when it was telling me to screw the rules in regards to Chuck. So when it screamed danger, she found a Glock within seconds. Thank God Beckman remembered the thirty-foot rule.

Sarah saw movement out of the corner of her eye and acted immediately. With Chuck behind a blast door and the rest of the team blocked from the living room she swung her weapon to be near center mass of the average person. Her sights came to where she saw the motion had come from, and Sarah was almost disappointed to not see any more movement.

When she saw someone move on the other side of the wall, she smiled. Evidently, no one ever taught the person the important difference between cover and concealment. The guy had chosen to hide through concealment, which would be no match for her 9mm. It wasn't her fault that the guy was that stupid. She put two rounds into the wall where he was hidden and smiled when the body fell into view. Sarah then fired two more rounds into the other side of the huge hole. When she saw no further movement, she made sure to hide behind actual cover. Now she had to wait for the others that would be coming. Sarah did not have to wait long. She saw the flashbang enter the room. I could have waited for that. She then tried to cover her ears and close her eyes.

Sarah's attempts at shielding herself from being affected by the noise and brightness failed miserably. Just as she began to recover from the flashbang, she felt a pinprick in the back of her neck. Sarah swiveled around and tried to get a good sight on a target, but her hands were getting heavy when she finally found one. In desperation Sarah fired a single shot at the target, but her eyes closed as lost consciousness. She never saw Adams fall to the ground and hold his leg in pain.

Chuck ran to the front of the house. As he went through the door, the pristine lawn that looked like it belonged on a golf course was such a contrast to the disaster that was the rest of the yard. There was a large part of Chuck's mind that was about to become unhinged. Sarah was the only one left. I have to find her and fast. Time to get off the dime. Chuck remembered hearing somewhere the first 24 hours was the most important. I have to find Sarah. I have to find Sarah.

Part of Chuck was surprised that he had not gone and began looking for the cheese balls, but he was different now. If someone could look into Chuck's eyes, they might have seen a glint of something no one had ever seen from him. Something feral and animalistic. It was the full potential of the Intersect about to be turned loose, no longer contained by Chuck's aversion to violence.

He had revenge on his mind. In the past, Chuck never got revenge. Not when Bryce Larkin had betrayed him, not for Jill's multitude of transgressions, nor all of the bullies and brutes in his adolescence, or even their older and much more dangerous brothers and sisters. After all of that, Chuck had never wanted revenge. Today, however, was different. For the first time in years, his thoughts went to Daniel Shaw.

Chuck concentrated on getting a vehicle. Casey's GMC Suburban was a good choice, and as soon he tuned the ignition on his thoughts returned to Shaw. Chuck always thought that that piece of wood was already unhinged and his obsession drove him over the edge. Inside the mind of Charles Bartowski, a war was raging. On the one side was growing venom to the men who kidnapped his wife and then killed the rest of his family. On the other side was his need to rescue his unborn child and its fantastic

mother. Chuck shook his head as he headed to where the Predator had crashed into the SUV. For now, I'll let the anger win. He took a deep breath.

Ten miles away, George Adams was also having a battle in his psyche, but the combatants were much easier to define. Should I listen to that jackass who let his daughter do the dirty work, or should I just kill the blonde bitch that put Lizzie in jail?

Since he hadn't shot her already, even though she had shot him, he knew who would win. But that didn't stop him from tying to burn holes in her from the staring he was doing. The bimbo was just about everything he despised. She was a puppet for a horribly broken system. Fulcrum may be dead, but that did not stop him from being a patriot. In the movies, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty was epitome of desire, and yet it was a raven-haired, brown-eyed girl that flipped his noodle. On top of that, she let a man dominate her. She only seemed to fall for secret agents who were "the best." His Lizzie was just a sweet innocent girl who had fallen for an ordinary, run-of-the-mill guy who served his country. All he ever tried to do was defend the founding principles of the country he loved.

George's thoughts stopped when he looked into his captive's eyes. They seemed sad. They weren't the angry eyes he expected. It did not fit this was the great Sarah Walker. The reports were filled with how she had gotten in tough scrapes before. He had taken his time to make sure the drugs he hit her with would not harm the baby.

In a rare moment of compassion to his enemies, Adams spoke up. "Don't worry, Agent Walker. We made sure the drugs used to subdue you would not hurt the baby."

Sarah looked directly at Adams with an almost blank expression. "I am not worried about the baby. I'm not worried about you and your men. If my guess is correct, you won't be alive very much longer." Sarah took a deep breath, but the fear increased in her voice. "I'm worried you have unleashed the single most dangerous weapon the CIA has ever produced. Even more, I'm worried what effect all this will have on him and if I'll be able to keep him from going past the point of no return. What will happen if I can't?"

**I am trying to improve as a writer I can't if I don't get reviews Please review. Send me a PM heck I'll give you my address and you can mail it to me. Hey there's twitter too, I'll take that also. If it sounds like I am desperate its cause I am.**


	8. part a

**A/N I am sorry I wanted this Chapter to be the complete story, but it would have been 10,000 words, and there was no way I could get it done by Halloween. **

**Thanks PJ for betaing this so fast even while writing his own. **

**Thanks to Dave for keeping me honest, and Joe for a great idea which I did a facepalm wondering why I didn't think of that. **

**Supsfan18 and AdmiralSeajay for their input.**

**Finally, a heap of thanks to ArmySFC. I am = ex law enforcement so I have some knowledge of weapons, but the accuracy of the last 2 chapters would not be possible without him. Thank you all..**

**Don't own Chuck or an M4, but I know someone who does **

Dan Wood had been in a lot of scrapes in his time. His time in the Marines changed him, and the two years he did in the Portsmouth for assaulting an officer hardened him even more. He had seen the eyes of murderers so dark, light seemed incapable of escaping from them. He had also seen the eyes of prisoners and hostages, watching them change from innocent and carefree to the hopeless eyes of a humbled and violated victim. As Dan sat with his hands tied behind him, a chill ran down his back with the knowledge for the first time he looked into the eyes of a man who had both. _I am deep in the shit._

"Hello, Daniel Wood," the man began. "It is most unfortunate that your name is Daniel. Not a big fan of that name. I'm also not a big fan of brig bunnies that pop Marine Colonels. I happen to know one. And I am certainly not endeared to someone who would who would leave his lovely wife, Melissa and child, Amber, in order to kill another man's family, and then kidnap that man's beloved."

_How does he know about me? _Dan thought. He then addressed his captor. "What do you want from me?"

"Oh, that's the best part, Dan. Charles is my name, by the way. It's real easy. I want a cell phone number and a location. That's all. I want to talk to your ex-boss, and I want to find my wife."

Dan tried to sit a little straighter and puffed his shoulders out. "What do I get out of it? I want immunity."

He had seen the deranged smirk his captor bore many times in his life. He used it himself. But it was a different story to be on the receiving end of it.

"Ahh, you must think I am some sort of law enforcement agent. I will answer your question Dan. You get to continue to breathe, and since you're one of the scum-sucking, algae-eating, bottom feeder bastards that helped kidnap my wife."

Dan saw all of the innocence disappear from the man's face as Charles continued. "If I don't get what I want, it will cost you. Now I'm not going to kill you; that would be too easy. I'll simply take from you everything that ever mattered in your life. Forever. Don't care if it's the dog, or the wife, or the kids, I'll kill it. And you know what? I may be in jail, but you have to live with the knowledge that what you did got your most beloved killed for the rest of your life, so think about that."

When Dan's eyes returned to Chuck's, most of the menace was gone. But not all of it. Dan was glad to see that in its place some of the innocence had returned. "Please don't make me threaten your wife and daughter. Please. I don't wish to hurt them, but if my wife dies, I can't be responsible for what I do. Just give me the number and location."

Dan could not hear anything. No birds chirping; not even an insect. It was as if the air was preparing for the loud screams that would come if Charles did not get his information, Dan realized he had no choice. He lowered his head and exhaled. He gave Chuck the cell number and the location of the hideout. He was silent after that. He knew what was next. He knew the rules of the game as he looked into those black, soulless eyes. Charles took a step forward and grabbed Dan by the hair, forcing him to look into his eyes. Dan could only see with one of them, as the other was blocked by the barrel of a S&W 5906.

Dan had never been a religious man. Religion was for suckers and the weak-minded. And yet as he sat there, one phrased echoed through his mind.

_Our Father, who art in Heaven..._

Dan must have said it out loud because Charles waited for him to finish the prayer. "Go home, Dan. Become a God-fearing man. Because if you ever so much as break someone's fingernail, I will find you. I will hunt you down. I will make you wish you could die, just to make the pain stop. Then I will make you pay for every family member that died today."

Chuck reached behind his back with his left hand and grabbed a tranq pistol. Intellectually, he knew it would take one, maybe two darts to knock Dan out. Chuck just couldn't stop squeezing the trigger. The magazine held twelve darts, yet Chuck depressed the mechanism at least twenty times. As Chuck finished writing a message for Beckman and for anyone who saw this, part of him wondered if twelve darts might kill Dan. Chuck just kept working. He didn't care.

**ADAMS' HIDEOUT**

It took a lot longer than normal to get to the old, dilapidated hospital that was his hideout. Due to the nature of the mission, and with a highly-trained operative sitting in the van, they made several changes in course, speed and direction in order to lose a possible tail and to confuse agent Walker. As they drove up, Adams surveyed his hideout one more time. There were 2 buildings to the old Psych hospital. The larger, L-shaped building held patient rooms along one hallway with the cafeteria and administrative offices along the other hallway. The nurses' station was situated between the two sections. The other building was a gym with a half-sized basketball court and twenty-foot roof. The town had dried up years ago, and the only place still open was a convenience store a half a mile away. When the location was built they put over 200 yards of open land around the facility clear to make sure they could spot anyone who left the facility. Now it was used to keep people out. Adams was glad to see his instructions had been followed and there were people stationed at several observation posts around the location. No doubt they also stationed sentries on the far sides of the gym.

What was really bothering him was not the longer length of the drive, it was the fact something felt off. He knew of the almost legendary status of Sarah Walker. That is why he sent Lizzie to the Buy More all those years ago. Walker was too good to just be there as a standard cover. When he captured her, he thought for she would put up a fight, tranq or no tranq, but the woman that stood before him did not look like she had any fight left. There wasn't any fear for her life in her eyes, but it was almost as if she was not looking forward to what would happen after this was over.

George shook his head. _Dammit, what am I missing?_

As they were driving into their hideout, Sarah's experience and training started logging all the details. The location had a great perimeter. Curtains covered the windows, allowing people to see out but not in. Upkeep was an issue with the building. Insulation was hanging from the awning that covered the front entrance and driveway. The roof was at a ten-degree angle, just enough to rule out a roof access point. Sarah also saw the guys on watch. They were looking around at everything but the building and the motley bunch of vehicles at the entrance. They had the look of ex-military. She could see a building in the back forty feet away from the main building.

_That's where Chuck will do reconnaissance before entering,_ Sarah thought to herself. She knew him well enough to know that at this distance, he wouldn't need a sniper rifle.

_I hope he uses tranqs. I want him back after this. I hope those son of bitches haven't taken him completely away. Damn, this is going to get bloody. _

When that realization hit Sarah, her mood darkened. No one ever liked to be kidnapped, but she had absolute faith that Chuck would rescue her. That was never the question. The question was if she would be able to save Chuck afterward.

_Dammit. I need to get in touch with the padre when this is over._

On the drive to the not-so-hidden hideout, as Chuck referred to it, he thought at least 12 times how much he missed his iPod. Part of Chuck wasn't feeling proud of possibly killing a man he promised not to kill. Although there was a large part of him which greatly desired shoving Wood's nasal cartilage into his brain or giving him a mortar enema. Thankfully, the layout of the hideout was part of the Intersect. Why the bad guys reused hideouts, he would never know, but he was grateful for the intel. The downside was the Intersect was far too efficient. Chuck had a rescue plan drawn up within ten minutes. The rest of the trip was spent thinking about his family. How all but two were buried under the rubble of his family home. When he was three miles from his destination, he started looking for the right spot to park the vehicle. He would complete the journey on foot and didn't need the vehicle. Beckman would pick them up. _Someone had to bury the bodies_, Chuck thought darkly as an emotionless smile crossed his face.

Chuck found a nice spot about a mile and a half away and pulled off onto an old dirt road before hiding it around a hill so it could not bee seen from the main road.

Chuck went to the back of the SUV and opened the special cargo section. Inside was most of the stuff to make his plan work. Thanks to the Intersect, Chuck had a plan to not only save Sarah but to send a loud and clear message to anyone who thought about messing with his family again. What the plan would do to Chuck, well, that was for another day.

He grabbed Casey's favorite M4 rifle. He cleaned it once a week, even if he didn't use it. The rifle had an ACOG scope and a great sound suppressor Casey designed for just such an occasion, Chuck grabbed extra magazines for Casey's and Sarah's weapons. He also took a few choice items out of a special bag they made up for Captain Awesome for emergency purposes. Finally, Chuck grabbed a one hundred foot section of rope and a universal game controller Morgan insisted on carrying ever since they had to get some intel from the gaming conference but didn't have a controller for their off-time. It was more for luck than anything else, but he needed every bit of luck he could get.

Chuck slung the backpack over his shoulder, threw the rope over the other, and began the hike to the old hospital. It turned out Meatloaf was wrong. He would do anything for love…period.

**JOHNSTON HOUSE**

It took over an hour to get out of the bunker. Once Morgan and Alex were finally able to get access to the front of the house, he heard the faint sound of a helicopters approaching. Enough medical personnel and clean-up crew arrived to form a small army. Colonel Sanders stepped off the helicopter and walked to the dust-covered bearded man. By the way he stood in the grass; Sanders thought he was looking at a garden gnome.

"Who is in charge?" Sanders asked Morgan.

"With Colonel Casey incapacitated, I guess that would be me," Morgan replied. "I'm Agent Mulder, and this is Agent Scully."

Alex shook her head and smiled. _You can take the agent out of the Nerd Herd, but…_

If Sanders got the joke, he chose to ignore it. "Agent Grimes, I am sorry it took so long to get here, but we had to get a secure team ready since the old one was compromised."

"Colonel, we have two agents with injuries that need to be transported out as soon as possible. I also have two civilians who need to get placed into protection. I am wondering if there is a place on the base they can be secured them till General Beckman can send an authorized team to guard them. I must also go with them. I apologize if this puts you in a bind, but this is of utmost importance and must also be kept strictly confidential."

The colonel nodded his head in acknowledgment as a sergeant walked up to him. The sergeant handed him a phone. Colonel Sanders addressed the person on the other end of the line. Apart from a few nods, a couple of "yes" replies and the occasional annoyed glance at Agents "Mulder" and "Scully," Sanders handed back the phone and addressed them. "Agents, I have a situation you might be interested in. Are either of you trained in crime scene work?"

**JOHN CASEY'S APARTMENT – TWO YEARS AGO**

It did not take long after she met her father and Morgan for Alex Coburn to decide she wanted to join a federal agency. Alex had expressed interest in the NSA in order to follow in her father's footsteps. Alex had been expecting to meet with him for the past few days. When she walked into his apartment, Alex was surprised to see Sarah there.

Casey's tone was nothing but business. "Alex, I know I haven't been in your life long, but I am putting my foot down. I do not want you not to join the NSA, or even the CIA." Casey gave a small grunt of distaste at the thought of the CIA before continuing. "I asked Sarah to be here because I wanted her to verify what I am about to say."

Before Casey could continue, Sarah interrupted him by standing up to Alex and looking her in the eye. "Alex, what we tell you stays here." Alex nodded, but Sarah didn't think she got the idea. "Seriously Alex, Chuck is never to find out about this conversation. He doesn't know what happened, and I never want him finding out."

Alex could see the redness on her neck and her shoulders. _She is blushing! Why?_ "Sarah what are you talking about."

Casey spoke up quickly. "Alex, you have to deal with a lot of people who give the orders, supposedly honorable people, but many of them watched too many James Bond movies growing up. Their first instinct when assessing female agents for advancement is how willing the agent is to give up their morals in the bedroom. Forget about how smart you are or how well you can handle yourself in a fight; it is literally a case of sleeping your way to the top. Far too many incompetent agents have moved up the ranks simply because they had no qualms about turning themselves into glorified hookers. Before Sarah met Chuck, she was known as one of the best agents the CIA ever produced. I was in a different agency, and I even heard the scuttlebutt. But when we started working together, I was pleasantly surprised to see an operative of the CIA that lived up to the hype. She earned her way to being one of the best agents in the CIA. She took the hard road, and to my knowledge she never slept with a mark."

Sarah was about to speak up Casey raised a hand and stopped her. "On this subject, I am like Chuck: I don't need to know." Casey looked hard at Sarah as he said that, and Sarah knew the whole purpose of Casey telling Alex this story. "At the very least, Alex, people in charge prefer their female agents to have no personal life of their own. This is especially true about having a boyfriend, so they used certain missions to split up couples. Hell, when Chuck and Sarah had a really rough patch they shipped her off on one to try and end their relationship permanently. Luckily Chuck was out of the loop at the time, and he never knew."

Casey hesitated, and then he put his hand on Alex's shoulder. She never said it out loud, but Sarah recognized that as a big step for the stolid NSA operative. Casey's voice softened. "Alex, if you join the FBI, you won't have to deal with that garbage, and you and Morgan can stay together."

The room got quiet as the two agents waited for Alex's reaction. Alex stood up and reached into her hip pocket. She pulled out a letter and handed it to Sarah. After glancing at it, Sarah handed the letter to Alex's father.

"Dad, that is my acceptance into the FBI Academy. Chuck suggested I wait until I got the letter before telling you that I already made the choice to train at Quantico."

Alex turned to Sarah and was a little hesitant. "Sarah, Chuck already knows what happened. All of it. He sat me down and told me what you did, not only about that mission but some of the other missions as well. He figured you were upset about what your supervisors did but were afraid to tell him. He found out who sent you on that mission. And it turns out that supervisor had to get an agency-mandated colonoscopy. Apparently, some information about his family's medical history suddenly came to light that he was susceptible to colorectal cancer. Shame, too, the poor guy had to get five colonoscopies this year because they kept losing the results. It's almost as if they kept getting erased from the medical computers at Walter Reed. Weird, huh?"

Casey grunted at hearing that. From her time with Morgan, Alex correctly determined it was Casey's "not bad, moron" grunt. Sarah looked at the ground and smiled. She shut her eyes as a single tear trekked down her cheek.

Sarah headed for the door. She turned as she put her hand on the door handle. "I have to go talk to Chuck about something. Uh, and Casey? If you have the surveillance cameras on in our apartment, could you please shut those off for a few hours? Perhaps the rest of the day?"

**JOHNSTON HOUSE – PRESENT TIME**

Since Alex's official introduction to them, having an FBI agent on Team Bartowski was more beneficial than anyone anticipated. Alex's training in forensics and federal law helped out, as well as the fact that all the paperwork that had to be filled out for special circumstances because there was a CIA/NSA operation in the continental United States disappeared overnight.

Given her knowledge of what to do at a crime scene…and more importantly, what not to do…Alex was once again proving her value as she witnessed the scene in front of her. However, even her experience didn't help her with what she saw. She paused and took a few deep breaths before moving on. The rear of the SUV was a mess where the Predator hit it. All of the glass, including the mirrors were scattered all over the place. The rear tires were blown out, and there were pieces of the all over the area. However, the most interesting thing was at the other end of the SUV.

Quantico didn't have to teach her the message on the hood was written in blood; she knew it already. She read the message. 2_2 hours left. Diane, I will notify you of next location. Bring body bags_.

Agent Alex Grimes had worked on team Bartowski for quite a while. She had known Chuck for even longer. Right now, Alex was trying to figure out why Chuck would do something like this. True, the blood was taken from a dead murderer, but it was still gruesome. She heard two members of the rescue team talking quietly behind her. It gave her a small smile.

"Man, who does something like this?"

"I don't know who did this, Tommy, but one thing is certain. Never fuck with Agent Walker."

**ADAMS' HIDEOUT**

Since leaving the Johnston house, hundreds of escape plans went through Sarah's mind. Through years of experience, the plans she made almost all had an acceptable amount of risk for her. However, none of those plans were acceptable for the baby. Sarah had little choice but to allow herself to be held as a captive. She was escorted by two men who were on either side of her. She looked through the drapes of one of the windows and saw the outline of a large building. Sarah tried to study the roof, but there was not enough clearance from the window.

_I wonder when Chuck will start his assault. There's only twenty minutes of light left._

A third man joined them as they got to the next room. It gave Sarah a bit of levity to her predicament. _Do they get these guys from Henchmen-R-Us? They all look the same._

The new guy looked Sarah up and down with a leering gaze. "I hear pregnant women are five times as horny. Let's see if that's true."

Sarah's eyes narrowed and her lips became rigid. If Chuck had been in the room, he would have taken several steps back. However, the thugs did not know how to react to what Chuck called the "look of death." They were completely surprised when Sarah kicked the guy with bad manners square in the groin, although Sarah could have used a knife for the result. He immediately dropped to the ground.

Sarah backed up and turned to attack the next man, but the other stayed back. She was about to finish off the man on the ground when another man ran in and immediately put a pistol to her temple.

"Hey, numb nuts! Yeah you, Nick Meyers. I gave explicit orders the agent was not to be touched in any way unless she attempted an escape."

All eyes turned toward the voice. George Adams was sitting in a wheelchair in the doorway Sarah went through moments ago. Adams was now in shorts with a large bandage on his leg, and he had a tranq pistol in his lap. George wheeled himself to the group in a surprising short amount of time. "Nick, I told you to not provoke Mrs. Bartowski. She is to be left alone as she is our guest. Mr. Patel's orders."

Nick sat up and started to say something, but Adams grabbed the tranq pistol and shot Meyer in the chest with two darts. George turned to Sarah. "Like I said, Mrs. Bartowski, you are our guest. Please do not do anything to change that status. May I call you Sarah?"

"I would prefer Walker," Sarah replied as she tried to rein in her contempt for Adams.

"Now, Mrs, Walker, I have given you no reason to be disrespectful. You are the one who shot me in the leg."

Sarah stood to her full height and looked straight at George Adams. "Someone once told me that violence always creates more violence. I am pretty sure you're time is coming soon. I would prefer to not be on personal terms if you don't mind."

"Whatever you prefer, as long as you don't try to run off. Now will you please follow these men to your room?"

**ADAMS' HIDEOUT – EXTERIOR – TWENTY MINUTES EARLIER**

After getting his bearings as to where he was in relation to the old hospital, Chuck made his way through a grove of trees to get into a position that allowed the gym to conceal him from anybody looking out of the main building. Once he was there, he dropped his backpack on the ground and got into a prone position. He set the M4 rifle to a three-round burst and set the rifle to his shoulder. He looked into the ACOG scope. The sentry was just a little sloppy. He was leaning against the rear of the gym. Chuck gave a bit of a smile since the toughest part of his mission was going so well. Chuck concentrated and his Intersect gave him the instructions he needed. Chuck looked into the scope and took a deep breath. As he slowly exhaled, he squeezed the trigger and felt the butt of the rifle slam against his shoulder as the 5.56 rounds flew true. With the help of the Intersect, and to make a point for his family, he made sure all three rounds impacted the man's head. The first round struck the chin on the left side of the sentry's face, and the natural movement of the M4's barrel caused the next two rounds to hit higher and to the right on the man's face. The second round hit the man's cheekbone, and the last one struck him just below the eye. The suppressor muffled the noise, and before the pressure in his shoulder subsided, the sentry's body fell into a heap on the ground.

Chuck slung his rifle, grabbed his pack, and ran to where the body was. His Intersect flashed on the correct procedure to make a lasso. He pulled himself up to the roof of the gym within a few minutes. He put himself into position for some reconnaissance.

After ten minutes, Chuck had most of the info that he needed. In the left edge of his spotter's scope, he observed motion in one of the windows. He quietly reminded himself to thank Casey that his scope worked as well in the twilight as it did during the day. Through the window he saw Sarah standing facing a guy. When he saw her legs and back tense Chuck shouldered the M4 and readied himself to fire. When the pistol was placed at Sarah's head, Chuck's jaw clenched, and he almost set off a round.

_Watch his arm, watch his arm. Don't even think about pulling that trigger, you son of a bitch. You even think about shooting my wife and you die, _When he saw the pistol lowered, Chuck took in his first breath in what felt like forever. However, he kept the weapon trained on the man.

_Ease up, Chuck. Bide your time. The plan does you no good if you don't follow it._ Chuck lowered the weapon and he slowly looked down. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Chuck grabbed his laptop to start phase two. Computer expertise may have been his strong suit, but he knew he would never be able to handle it if this went wrong.


	9. I am become death, destroyer of worlds

**A/N at the bottom**

**Anger begins in folly, and ends in repentance Pythagoras**

**Fifteen Minutes Later - Sarah Bartowski's Room**

Sarah's escort returned to her room to see her lying on the bed with her hands folded on the back of her neck and her legs crossed. Had he arrived at the room a minute earlier, he would have seen her moving around the room, looking in the dresser, the bed, and in every nook and cranny in the room. When Sarah heard footsteps in the hallway, she hurried to the bed and got into position to wait for her visitors. She tried to think of a happier time before the inevitable finally caught up with her.

**One Month ago LAX**

Father Myerson got off the plane last when it arrived in the airport. Patience truly was a virtue, and he still had four hours till his flight took off to Mexico City. He was enjoying a stretch of the legs when he saw a tall redhead wearing dark sunglasses and a baggy coat. She was holding up a sign that said "Priest for Rent"

Myerson laughed to himself and went to give the lady a hug. He stepped back and beamed at her. "Well if it isn't Maureen Catherine, my favorite lass. I don't know if I am for rent, but if ye come for confessional, I will be glad to take it. By now you must surely need it. If not, ye better go kiss the blarney stone."

Sarah Walker threw her head back and laughed. "Padre how is it that I can never fool you? I forgot how good you're fake accent is. I even went into disguise just to mess with you."

Myerson laughed again. "Ahhh, Sarah my dear, it is because my heart is pure, and because deep down you don't want to always be number one. From how you look, the postcards are correct; you found what you were seeking. You found a way to be needed."

Sarah grabbed his arm as they were walking and smiled. "Oh yes I have. And if it wasn't for you…well, thank you Padre."

"Thank God for that, Sarah Walker. I just was the instrument He used." The priest did not wait for her to disagree. He took his faith seriously. "So when do I get to meet this lucky guy?"

"When are you getting back to the States? You might have all kinds of surprises in store for you."

The priest looked up at the ceiling for a second. "I will be back in a year."

When the priest looked down and saw the blush on her face and the megawatt smile, Myerson was stopped in his tracks. "Lord be praised! Sarah, have you been blessed with child?"

Sarah looked down at the ground and just nodded. Father Myerson was almost tearing up in joy. "Oh yes, I will be back to see this amazing young man, and maybe to baptize this beautiful child you bring into this world?"

**Present Day**

Once the thug entered the room Sarah did not even move, except to raise her eyebrows. "Agent Walker, Mr. Adams would like to see you in the command center. He seems to think that you might know what is going on in the office."

Sarah nodded and got off the bed, and they headed down the hallway. "How's my good buddy, Nick?" she asked in general.

"He is walking with a limp, thanks to you," the man replied with undercurrents of bile. "He is now relieving the guys on the perimeter. I have orders not to touch you, but if you try to kick me I will plant you."

"Don't worry, whatever your name is," Sarah replied with complete disdain. "If I try to kick you, you won't be planting anything for a long time. I wasn't interested in kicking good old Nick. He just pissed me off."

A tiny smile graced her lips. _Nick is really going to have a lousy last day._

When the group got to where the administration office was Sarah saw a bunch of empty desks. There were quite a few laptops, and Sarah was struggling to keep herself from laughing. The five laptops were being worked on by people almost pounding on the keyboards. The Internet appeared to be down. From what she could tell, the phone on the desk didn't work either. In fact, the only thing that seemed to be working properly was the hand held radios. Adams was frantically trying to type on the laptop, but all that was coming up was a smiley face. Adams could only react by slamming his hand on the desk, which only made Sarah smile even more.

Adams looked up and saw Sarah. "So, Agent Walker, do you know anything about this?"

**NSA Field office – Los Angeles**

"GeneralI have the Homeland Security director on line one, but the President is on line two."

"OK I'll get line two, and tell Cutter who I'm on the phone with. I don't need a hissy fit from a piss-poor bureaucrat like him today. Thank you, Janice."

Beckman pressed a button on the phone and took a deep breath as she placed the handset to her ear.

"Good morning Mr. President."

"General, I was just informed that there was a house attacked and blown up in California. Reports indicated the house belonged to you."

"Yes, Mr. President. We confirmed there was an attack on my family home."

"Were there any survivors? Do we know the extent of their injuries?"

"No, sir. We don't know the casualties yet, but we are sure the Intersect survived the explosion."

"About the intersect host. I was already briefed by Director Cutter on the Agent's temper and extremely hostile manner in which he conducted himself."

Beckman paused for a moment. "Yes, sir. He did threaten Director Cutter. But honestly, Mr. President, Agent Bartowski, at that time, thought he lost his entire family. Also bear in mind, sir, Cutter did order his wife's termination.

"Very interesting, General. Mr. Cutter must have conveniently forgotten to read me in on that. I can understand Agent Bartowski's frustration under the circumstances."

"Yes Mr. President, I would be pissed too." Beckman took a deep breath, a little irked for using a curse word in front of the President before continuing.

"Mr. President, I know Agent Bartowski is unorthodox, and he has given me quite a few gray hairs. However, I am confident he will be able to work in the field, short of anything that would compromise his family.

This time, it was the President to sound more like a human and less like a title. "General...Diane…let me have a rather stern talk with Director Cutter. I am very sorry for your loss today. Please inform Agent Bartowski there will be a formal apology given by the Director when all is said and done."

"Thank you, sir. And thank you for informing Director Cutter of the situation."

Beckman's eyebrows flicked up when she saw Janice enter the room. Then she saw the display on her phone, indicating FBI Agent Grimes was on line 3. She then did something she never thought she would do: interrupt the President of the United States.

"Mr. President, I do apologize, but I have an update on the other line…Yes, Mr. President, I will inform you of the situation as soon as I am updated…No, sir, I am not trying to get you off the phone…Yes, sir…Please hold Mr. President."

Beckman placed the conversation on hold. Before hitting the next line, Beckman put her hands together and looked up at the ceiling. She placed her phone next to her forehead and let out a slow breath.

"Agent Grimes, What is your status?"

"Rhodes and Casey sustained serious injuries, but they are not life threatening."

"What did you find out when you got to the scene?" As Beckman heard the answer, all color left her face. Her lips pursed tightly together, and the hand holding the phone began to tremble.

"Agent Grimes I need you to use any recourse you can, including the FBI, to find out where Sarah is being held. He must think that everyone is dead right now. Also, have the other Grimes keep me up to date on Casey's and Rhodes' status."

Beckman waited for a moment for Alex to complete her report. "Thank you Alex. Get me that address."

Beckman stood up and rubbed her temples with both hands. She stepped around the desk and went to her purse that was hanging on a coat rack on the other side of the office. She grabbed her wallet and took out a picture. The photo was faded and worn. It was of two women wearing bathing suits. Her mouth opened slowly and a small whisper came out.

"Mary, I promised I would take care of them. I'm doing my best. I swear, the mission will not come first this time. I'll get them back."

Beckman wiped a tear that fell off of her face and sat back down behind the desk. She reconnected with the President.

"Mr. President, I have just been informed that no one was killed at the raid. However, Colonel Casey and agent Rhodes were seriously wounded. Charles Bartowski is currently in search of his wife. He does not know that his sister and his friends are still alive. He has gone off grid to avoid a stop order. We are trying to get in touch with him through other means. Could you please notify the FBI director to give Agent Grimes any and all assistance she needs?"

She sat patiently and listened to the President's response. "Yes, sir. I am getting a team assembled to assist Agent Bartowski. I am also going to get some people ready to clean up the mess."

Beckman paused for a moment. "Mr. President, you are dealing with a man who thinks that the only thing he has left is his wife. She also is pregnant. Combine that with having the Intersect, and Charles becomes a very dangerous and unstoppable weapon. The message he left at the scene was 'bring body bags'."

"Yes sir, I am working on the aftermath, I will talk to you soon."

Ten minutes later Beckman was still sitting at her desk. The overnight briefings were sitting on her desk. Notes from several different substations were also sitting on her desk. She even had requested callbacks to Secretary of Defense, the director of ICE and three congressmen. Instead of her normal routine of working through stress, Beckman just stared at the phone trying to will the damn thing to ring. She exhaled loudly and picked up the phone when Janice poked her head into the office.

"Colonel Sanders is here to see you General."

Beckman slammed the headset into the cradle than adjusted her desk and mouthed 'two minutes' to her assistant. She needed to gather herself, since she wasn't expecting this conversation to be pleasant or well-timed.

Two minutes and ten seconds later Sanders walked into the office, walked straight to her desk, and sat down on the other side of the General.

"So Diane, what the hell happened to my bird? I'm getting my ass reamed from here to D.C."

There was enough acid in Beckman's voice to dissolve steel. "My memory's sketchy, Colonel, but when I was in the Academy, I was taught to stand at attention when I entered a superior's office."

Sanders raised an eyebrow as he quickly popped up next to her desk and saluted. She tiredly returned it and gestured for him to sit down again.

"Your bird, as you call it, was used to disable a vehicle being utilized in a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. In the process of the attack, a covert agent was kidnapped, and she was carrying the unborn child of my nephew. So with all due respect, Colonel, I really don't give a rat's ass about your precious bird right now." Beckman stared at Colonel Sanders for a full thirty seconds. The only sound in the office was the ticking of the clock in Beckman's office.

"If anyone gives you any crap, you tell them you had the authorization of POTUS. If they have a problem with that, you can send them to me and tell them they'll argue at their own peril."

Sanders' voice softened. "Even before I knew it was about family, I would not have said anything."

Beckman nodded. She just chewed out someone who did her a huge favor. "My apologies for being short with you, Colonel. As you can guess, this day has been very traumatic for me. There are a few things I still need. I need a strike team with Air support ready ASAP. I'll need them on standby for twelve hours at the most. I also need a team that will be able to dispose of some bodies and won't talk after."

Colonel David Sanders' eyes rose up and finally met Beckman's gaze. "Do you mind if I use my cell?"

"Go right ahead, Colonel." As Colonel Sanders made his call, General Beckman began to work on the reports of the day. Some arms dealer named Volkoff was causing trouble again. There was a suspected Al Qaeda cell caught coming through Progresso, Texas. Major Innes was trying to get a FISA warrant to investigate some possible ex-Republican Guard members in Philadelphia. Then she addressed the personnel issues. Agent Lester wanted to retire. Wow, s_he is getting old. If she had stayed in the Navy, she'd be an Admiral by now. _Finally, she was looking at Guida's maternity request. _Good Lord_, a_re they ever going to stop having kids?_

She was going to move to some information about the congressional hearings next month when she noticed the screen changed. When she looked at the monitor she saw the Buy More symbol on the screen. It appeared for a moment then vanished, replaced by a text across the screen.

_Good Evening, Auntie Diane. It appears I will not need all the time I thought was needed. I will, however, need some semi-trustworthy people to get rid of the bodies. My phone will be left on in order to pinpoint my location._

**Gym Roof**

Charles continued his surveillance on the old hospital. _It's time_. He scanned to make sure he knew where they were. He then looked at the other exits and found Nick Meyers walking toward the back of the gym. Charles was glad to see the guy who threatened Sarah would be the guy to start his plan. When Nick turned the corner to the back of the gym he saw the body. He grabbed the radio attached to his hip. He keyed the mike, but the only sound that came out of the speakers was similar to that of a watermelon being sliced open.

**Control room**

Sarah knew what the sound was as soon as it came over the speaker of the handhelds. Someone had just died. It was from a high velocity round. Almost certainly a rifle. Chuck had started. Sarah didn't know whether to smile or cry. _Damn Hormones._

**Gym**

Charles waited for almost a minute before turning away from Nick. Since the round had sliced his head open there was almost no chance he was alive, but he wanted to make sure no one would find out where he was. Once he was satisfied, Charles made it to the edge of the building in a crouch. He lowered his right knee to the ground and placed it at a ninety degree angle to his body. He kept his left knee raised and sat back on his right ankle. He placed his left elbow on his left knee to support the barrel of his M4. He raised his weapon into a good firing position and lined up the guy furthest from him in the ACOG. From there it was all a matter of proper breath control and keeping calm. Charles squeezed the trigger, and the guard fell immediately.

Charles swiveled around to where the last sentry was posted. When he looked there was no one in the area. He saw the last guy swing around the corner of the building. He was worried and was quickly considering switching to Plan B. In the back of his mind, he heard the words Casey told him.

_Don't get jumpy, moron. Just take your time, remember the range. _

After looking through the ACOG, Charles got a great sight picture and his training helped him again when the last man didn't even react to the shot.

He slung his rifle onto his shoulder and took off toward the rope at the edge of the building. He grabbed it and lowered himself to the ground quickly. The faster he got to the hospital, the more time he could spend doing the rest of this right. When he got to the entrance, he looked inside and saw a guard standing around.

_Time to turn up the heat. _

**Outside the Hospital**

After fixing the locks to the top of the L to prevent someone from getting behind him, Chuck got on all fours to stay below the windows. He went along the wall to the outside of where the two ends of the backwards L. There was a small dining area he could see when he peeked through the narrow window in the door. Charles smiled when he did not see anyone in the small room.

_Thank you for teaching me this one, Sarah, _Chuck thought as picked the lock.

Once inside the kitchen, he looked through the dining area. After making sure it was clear, he pulled out his laptop and waited for a moment as it booted up. He typed a few commands, and sent a message. Charles then accessed the site he hacked months ago for this type of emergency. He waited a moment before entering the commands. He wanted to make sure Adams had enough time to read the message first.

**Office **

When Sarah looked at her kidnapper, she saw an uncomfortable man. _With the amount of information he doesn't know, I might be freaking out, too._

George and Sarah's attention was drawn to the laptops in the room when they started flashing different colors. Shortly after, George saw a message on the screen.

_I looked up and there before me was a pale horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hell was following close behind him._

"What the hell?" George turned to Agent Walker. "What is going on?"

Sarah shrugged at her kidnapper when the power went out, and the emergency lights kicked on.

George grabbed his radio. "H2, status report." After a few seconds had passed he spoke again. "H3, status report."

Sarah enjoyed seeing George's pupils dilated and moving back and forth, along with the small amount of sweat on his forehead.

"Nick! Nick, what is your status?"

George swung around and looked at some of his men. "H4, H11, H12 and H5, find out the status of our sentries. And H5, keep you're eyes open and you're head down. H6 and H7, go into the 2 hallways and back them up. There is probably a team coming after us. It is small. We need to neutralize it. And then get the hell outta Dodge." He turned to H10. "Go with H6 and H7 to check on the cafeteria."

Once his men left, only George remained. "Agent Walker, it looks like I may have to use you as a hostage after all."

She smiled. "George, taking me as a hostage would be the absolute worst thing you could do. The only reason I haven't escaped is because I have to try and fix the mess you created."

"Sarah, I do believe you must be confused. It is you who is my..."

Sarah stood up. "Evidently, you don't realize how badly you've screwed up. Ever hear of Charles Carmichael?"

"Only rumors. A regular James Bond meets Jason Bourne. I always thought it was BS. No one is that good and doesn't go on red missions."

Sarah closed her eyes and rubbed her temples before continuing. "That was all true, but no one ever went after his family before."

"Yeah, but ...Carmichael is Bartowski?" George just let the words trail off and then just stared at the woman in front of him.

_THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN MISSING! _

He tried to remain calm. "I have you as a hostage; you don't think he will chance his wife being hurt, do you?"

Ever since this operation began and he acquired Sarah Bartowski, George had been surprised by how much of a pushover she had been. After watching her muscles tense, her change in posture, and the look on her face, he realized he made a critical mistake.

_Why couldn't I have kept my mouth shut?_

After a very awkward moment or two, Sarah saw George's cell phone go off. "It's no accident your cell phone started working. Tell the person who answers anything you want, but if you mention my husband, I will turn you into a eunuch.

After George saw the look on his captive's fac,e he had to grab the wheelchair he was sitting in to steady himself. _How did I underestimate this situation so badly? _It had been a long time since he had been afraid for his life. Right now the Sarah Walker of fame and legend was giving him the willies. Not to mention he had some nameless person who seemed to make people just disappear coming after his ass.

He picked up the phone and answered it. "This is George."

Sarah smiled when she heard his end of the conversation

"Our phones were out. We are being attacked by an unknown number of people. We have lost several men, and all communications are down."

"Oh yeah, we are just gonna call for backup. You stupid idiot... There is no backup. We no longer have backup. Fulcrum and The Ring are history."

The chatter ceased, and a foreboding voice came on the line. "If I were you, I would run, and run fast. When you are caught, you will be lucky if you end up in jail."

George hit the end button with a flourish and picked up his handheld radio. "H10, what is your status?" He waited a few seconds before trying again. "H5 and H7, go check and see what the deal is in the cafeteria."

George then closed an eye and stared at Agent Walker. "Since you're sure it's just one guy, tell him to give himself up." He tossed the radio to Sarah.

Sarah just laughed and tossed it right back, but with enough behind it to hit him in the stomach. "I would dearly love to talk with my husband right now, but me telling him that will just get you dead. After what you did to my family, I should tell him, but I need my husband back the way I left him.

George shrugged his shoulders and took the radio. "I know who you are, and I know you have a radio. So let me give you a message. You have one minute to drop your weapons to get ready for pickup, or I will have to take it out on my hostage."

Sarah just shook her head and mouthed two simple words: _big mistake_.

George looked at his watch and started silently counting down. Only ten seconds later, Charles' voice came over the radio.

"Really, George? I thought you understood the situation. You touch one hair on her head; make her the slightest bit uncomfortable, I will make you suffer. You will suffer for a long, long time before I bury your sorry ass. If you don't believe me, may I suggest you check out the cafeteria."

**Cafeteria**

"H2, you ready?"

"H3, I don't know man, this is really starting to get to me. I signed up for a simple snatch and grab. It sure ain't worth my life."

"H2, you're gonna lose your life if you don't shut up," H3 said in a stage whisper.

They slowly approached the end of the tan hallway toward the kitchen door. Both were using their training with their MP-5s attached to their soldiers in a crouch while keeping their heads on a swivel. H2 grabbed the handle on the door to the cafeteria and opened it. They peered inside and saw some tables placed together. There was a body on top of them. As they approached the body, the only sound they heard was the drip…drip…drip of blood making a pool on the floor.

The body was lying face up and the glint of something metal was poking up from his chest. Once they finished scanning the room they realized what that metal piece was.

The man had a scalpel stuck in his chest. H2 had seen enough. "I didn't sign up for this… I am out of here."

He went straight to the kitchen area and tried to open the door outside. When it did not open, he put his weight into it. After he realized it wasn't going to open he got on the radio.

"I do not know who you pissed off, but he left a scalpel in Tom Hardy, and now he has locked the doors. I want this over with right now!"

**Office**

George was not having a great day. He wasn't sure if the woman in front of him was the captive or if he was. With every passing second, he was less in control of the situation.

A voice…the same voice…came on his radio. "Good evening, Buy More Shoppers. This is your friendly neighborhood Nerd Herder advising you the outer doors are now locked. If you would like to leave, please see your nearest Nerd Herder, and he will help you leave."

George picked up his radio. "Everyone go to Cell. H9, I need you and H7 to meet up in the other hallway. We have been breached."

"Really? Ya think?" came an angry reply.

"Look just go meet up with the team in the other hallway. See if you can eliminate the threat."

H9 turned around to tell his partner what was going on, but he wasn't there. H9 considered himself to be a fairly gutsy person under normal circumstances. But now, his eyes were dilated and his forehead was slick with sweat. He shouldered his MP-5 and walked toward the hallway that bridged the two long hallways. As he made the turn around the corner of the drab tan hallways, he almost walked into his teammate.

H9 immediately sprinted in the opposite direction. He got to the other side of the hallway and got on his radio. "George, H7 is dead. I found him hanging from the ceiling with video game controllers."

George looked at Sarah. "A scalpel and now video game controllers? What is the deal with this guy?"

Sarah shook her head. "Wow. For being the mastermind of a terrorist act, I thought you would be smarter than that. OK, since you're that stupid, I will talk slowly. You kidnapped me and my husband's unborn child, and then you killed all his family and friends. Were you expecting a medal? You thought he'd be just peachy about you doing that?"

Sarah saw the color leaving her captor's face, although it certainly felt like he was the captive now. _Let's see how easy he can make it for me. _

"Honestly, I can't believe you don't know what's going on. It's funny you got so pissed about what happened to her. Did you really think that little tart you were boinking got off easy when we landed her in the slammer? Heck, from what I hear, we were doing you a favor. I was told it took it all of a week before she was someone's plaything."

George's face went from pale to beet red as his fist clenched. He jumped out of the wheelchair and lunged at her. She grabbed his wrist and swung him around, locking his shoulder in a hold. A 7 inch bolt appeared in Sarah's hand as she placed it on his jugular vein. "Thank you for making that so easy for me."

Sarah placed her right leg over his left ankle and drove him forward. George lost his balance and fell face first onto the floor. Sarah took a half a step back and kicked him in the groin. "That's for killing my sister." A second boot. "And that's for making my husband freak out."

She stared down hard at the writhing figure below him. "I would really put a hurting on you, but since I will be a mother soon, I won't do it. "

She paused, stepped to the side, and kicked him square in the head. "The hell I won't."

Sarah grabbed the radio from Adams' waistband. "Chuck, the office is clear. Please get to the office."

**Five Minutes Earlier**

Charles Carmichael walked down the hallway leading to the office. After verifying the long hallways were empty he knew the rest of the people had to be there. As he walked down the almost purple walls leading up to the office, Charles' thoughts tormented him again.

_Why do we have to let one go? They killed your family. They took your wife, and child. Killed Ellie, Devon, Casey, Morgan, and Alex. These bastards should die! It will be easy: just shoot the last one in the gut. It will take 3 days for him to die, but he will. They gotta pay._

Charles shook his head and made his way around the last turn before the admin office. He was sure the rest of the thugs would be around the corner. He got into a tight crouch and kept low to stay out of the way of the small amount of light the battery-powered lights were leaving. There was a half-filled water bucket collecting the dripping water from the A/C runoff that was just above the ceiling of the hallway. Charles stopped before he got to the edge of the turn. He placed Casey's M4 on the ground and grabbed his pack. Charles closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It had been a long time since he had flashed this much, and he used this time to control his anger. Once the martial arts and knife fighting flashes were over, he threw the bag across the hallway. As he raised his hands, the soft metallic glint of Sarah's knives appeared in them. He entered the hallway just as the bag he threw slammed against the far wall. The knife in his left hand struck home right below the first mans jaw. His right hand swung in a large arc and slammed against the side of his throat which caused a sympathetic response in all of his voluntary muscles, causing him to collapse to the floor. Charles then quickly stabbed another man under the ribcage and shoved it upwards. He got behind the guy and drove him into the last person in the hallway. The now dead man fell on the ground with the last man under him. Charles pulled out Sarah's 5906 and shot him twice in the forehead.

Charles turned around and approached the man he hadn't killed. Eddie Long's eyes focused on the man walking toward him. He had an evil smile on his face as he approached Eddie.

"Kinda sucks being helpless, doesn't it? That's how I felt earlier today. I couldn't do a damn thing to prevent you from killing my family. But today is your lucky day. If you go by the west exit, you'll be able to get out."

Charles saw the question in the man's eyes. Chuck grabbed one of Sarah's knives and slowly lowered the knife till it was on the guy's thigh. "Listen, stupid. You ain't special." Chuck began to cut into they guy's leg. The man screamed and slumped to the ground in pain. "Your only value to me is that you make sure people know never to mess with Sarah Walker."

The knife wasn't deep but there was no way Long was going to try and stop this crazy man.

Charles' eyes registered nothing but rage. "If I ever hear from you again I will make you wish I killed you today. Am. I. Clear?"

Chuck stood up and looked down. He didn't need an answer. The look on his opponent's face was enough.

Charles looked at the radio when he heard Sarah's voice on the radio. "Chuck, the office is clear. Please get to the office."

Chuck just looked down at the man at his feet. "Now carry your ass out of here before I change my mind."

**Office**

Sarah was waiting on a desk near the entrance. She had a pistol in her hand but was not ready to use it. She was shaking. Not only was it a long day, but who was going to walk through that door? Chuck or Charles? No one else may have detected the difference in his voice, but she did.

She had already dated Carmichael. Only the name might have been Bryce Larkin or Cole Barker or even Daniel Shaw. She married Chuck Bartowski, that sweet, caring man with whom she fell in love.

_Please God, please let Chuck walk through that door._

She lowered her head and for just a second she allowed herself to feel that moment long ago, right before she met her Chuck. Her body had an involuntary shiver as she remembered the incompleteness which gnawed at her soul. It was like that damn thing in _Revenge of the Sith_. It was killing her slowly, quietly, one molecule at a time. Only she didn't know it at the time. And she wouldn't have cared. And then she walked into that Buy More.

Sarah looked up at the ceiling and a small tear started to fall down her face. _Please Chuck, please be the one to walk through that door. _

She put her hand over her belly. _I can't do it on my own. You promised. I know you're hurting, but we will fix it. I promise. I know someone who will be able to help. Please Chuck, walk through that door._

The door slowly opened up and Sarah just stared at the slowly growing opening. When she saw the curly brown hair begin to walk through, Sarah began to smile. _I want him to see me smiling. _

When she saw the pistol next her heart sank. It was a real pistol. The look on her husband's face was that of Carmichael, but a moment later when she saw her husband's eyes she almost knocked him over leaping into his arms.

"Chuck, are you all right?" Sarah asked, holding him tightly enough to impress a boa constrictor.

"I could answer if you would let me breathe," Chuck replied.

Sarah relaxed her grip and smiled. "Sorry, husband of mine. I was worried about you."

"I missed you, too. Where is Adams? We need to get this cleaned up and quick. Beckman is under orders to eliminate you. The damned Intersect strikes again."

"Chuck, look at me. We will fix this. It's OK. I took care of Adams."

Chuck took a deep breath. "Sarah Bartowski, I am so glad we had that talk about if you were kidnapped."

"I agree but Chuck, thank you for coming back to me. I would have lost it if Charles had been the one to walk through that door. "

Very slowly their lips moved together as if attracted by a magnet. It was a quiet and slow kiss, like waking up from a long night's sleep. Sarah slowly pulled back and saw her husband's eyes.

All she saw was pain.

She grabbed him again and held him tightly. He trembled in her grasp and Sarah could feel him gently sob. She began to stroke the hair on the back of his head.

"What have I done? What have I done?" The emotions and the trauma of the last few hours were overtaking him. Sarah let go and roughly grabbed his arms. She gazed into his deep brown eyes.

"Chuck, you came back. You, Chuck. My Chuck." Sarah pulled him back into a hug strong enough to break bones. "Chuck, I have a friend who will come and help us. We will get through this together. I am with you. I will never leave you."

After holding each other for thirty seconds or thirty minutes, they heard the sounds of the cavalry finally riding in.

The battle was over, but the war was far from won. Sarah could always read Chuck like an open book, and she knew he was a damaged soul. She silently prayed "the padre" could do for her husband what he had done for her.

**A/N1: I hope some are interested in the new character The Padre, Sarah and his story will be in a 1 shot coming soon**

**A/N2: For all the Yanks who read this Happy Thanksgiving For those who are not I hope you still take time to be thankful. **

**There are some people I want to thank, some you may know**

**Joe and ATC Dave. Thank you for your guidance, also for creating a community that encourages intelligent debate. You also blogged about fan fiction, and that is how I was introduced to my obsession. Guys, if you get a package from my wife open it up carefully.**

**Supesfan118, ArmySFC, and Admiral Seajay thank you for your time, advice, and friendship the im's and emails are always one of the highlights of my day. I truly value the friendship you have shown me. I won't get into individual thank you's. It would take to long, and I plan on doing that individually.**

**Frea O'scanlin you're writing is my unattainable goal. I am fine with that, and because of it I am thankful through you're example. Also for giving me the idea to do this at the end of my chapter. I owe you a case of DrPepper**

**I wish I could go over all the writers I admire, but Brickroad, NinjaVanish, and so many others… Thank you for your epics.**

**Costas, Jimmy, LittleCandyMan Grayden 13 and the other writers who crank out your stories on almost daily basis, and there always so much fun, Thank you for giving me something to read every day.**

**Thanks to anyone who has read my rambles. Actually they should thank PJ Murphy who makes my crap readable In fact he went above and beyond the call for me to get this to you**

**Finally, thanks to my personal Sarah, my lovely wife. Thank you for putting up with my nonsense. I Love You with all my heart.**


	10. Quiet Before the Storm

**A/N: Already working on the next chapter. It will be a bit. Working 50 hours a week, and being a family man does not lead to prolific writing. Thanks to PJ Murphy for the beta, and for the ending, oh yeah on just general awesomness.**

** Its been over 9 months since the last update and I'm sorry, but it will get done. Others have helped me with this chapter, and I thank each and every one of you. I will pay you back by working to get the next one out faster.**

**I don't own Chuck. Although I wish I could say I don't own Chuck and Sarah, but wishing won't make it so.**

Morgan silently closed the door to the hotel room. He nodded to the team keeping watch on his closest friends while they were out of commission. As he padded down the long hallway that led to the front of the hotel, Captain Morgan Grimes, NSA, couldn't help but reflect on the past forty-eight hours. It had been a long couple if days, and there was no reason to think it was going to get better.

He headed to the vending machine located about halfway down the hall. Once there, he spotted the elixir that got him through school, through the night classes Chuck forced him to take, and even through the long nights when the kids never seemed to sleep more than an hour at a time. In spite of all of the changes in the last four years, his grape soda had always been there. He purchased two cans; one to guzzle, the other for enjoyment. Grabbing his first soda he popped the top and, with a slight tremble in his hand, he lifted the can to his lips as the liquid cascaded down his throat.

Now that he had finished the first one, he had a call to make. Morgan reached into the thigh pocket of his BDU pants and grabbed his phone. After a deep breath and a slow exhale, he dialed the number and placed the Android phone next to his ear.

"Grimes, secure."

General Diane Beckman began her reply even before the last syllable was off his tongue. "Beckman, secure. Grimes, what is your team's status?"

_Can't she ever just say hello?_ he groused silently. "General, it could be a lot worse. They both are suffering from exhaustion. That is probably to be expected. I have not had a chance to speak to Chuck. Sarah…well, General, she is being a bit protective of her husband. It's almost like when…"

"Grimes!"

"Ahh, yes ma'am. It appears Agent Bartowski's hormones due to her pregnancy may have enhanced her protective side…a lot."

Morgan was surprised when he heard a chuckle come from the other side of conversation. "Morgan, go to your wife. I am pretty sure she hasn't slept, either. I will have a driver take you to the hospital. Also, Colonel Casey's condition has improved greatly. He will be moved into a regular room in a few hours. Finally, the Woodcombs are on their way to a hotel under a Secret Service detail. Thank you for everything, Captain."

Morgan pulled the phone from his ear and saw she had hung up. He placed it in his pocket and went back to the room to grab his gear. Hopefully, momma bear was asleep, and he could get out alive.

_**3:00 AM**_

Sarah Bartowski's eyes shot open from the loud sound in the room. She stood up and headed towards its origin. When she peeked into the bathroom she saw her husband on his knees with his head over the toilet. She followed her first instinct and went to help. That's when she saw his eyes. Her husband's warm, chocolate orbs had been replaced with dark, cold ones. Chuck grabbed the door and slowly closed it. Almost immediately, she heard the click of the locking mechanism on the door engaging.

After a sigh escaped her lips, she grabbed her phone on the nightstand next to the bed.

"Bartowski, secure."

"Beckman, secure."

"I am truly sorry to bother you this late, but I need to get the process started as soon as possible."

After several seconds that felt more like minutes, Sarah heard a reply. "Are you sure this ex-agent can help him?"

"Diane, I wouldn't be an agent anymore if it wasn't for him. I am sure Graham showed you the file before you consented to me being on the team." Sarah took a quick breath. The Padre was an enigma, but she was pretty sure she could convince Diane to go along with her. Sarah just hoped Diane could convince the Padre.

"OK, Agent Bartowski. I'll do what I can on my end. Do what you think is right."

Sarah hung up the phone and dialed another number from memory. "New York Times Classifieds" was the response on the other end. Sarah ordered a classified ad in code. The message was simple:

_I need your help. He needs your special services. Official contact will be made through the diocese._

She took in a deep breath, craned her neck, and lay back on the hotel bed. _You have to trust him. This is for Chuck._ Her eyes slammed shut, and she took another breath. She then opened her eyes slowly and confirmed the order.

After placing her phone on the nightstand, she turned to hear Chuck brushing his teeth. He then stopped and scampered back to the toilet, undoubtedly dry heaving. It was tearing her apart inside. Her husband, her best friend, her lover, her soulmate was in the worst emotional pain of his life, and she could do nothing to help. She placed a pillow over her head and screamed silently, willing herself to not cry. After a few moments, she rolled over onto her side, using her hands as a pillow, and stared at the door to the bathroom.

_Please don't let me be wrong. I can't lose him, especially when we were going to walk away._ Sarah shook her head and looked at her stomach_. My baby needs a father. My baby needs Chuck. I need Chuck. I need _**my**_ Chuck._

_**3:00 AM**_

Chuck opened his eyes. The light escaping the blinds woke him up. It was definitely not a good morning. His stomach was on fire, and his throat felt like he had swallowed razor blades. Evidently, his projectile vomiting last night had taken its toll. At least with the wonders of the toothbrush and toothpaste, his mouth didn't taste like he had just eaten roasted lizard. After remembering even a part of that disgusting mission, he reached over and felt the warm softness of his wife's skin.

_I better get some water_, Chuck thought as he sat up to do just that. His pupils constricted and his muscles tensed as he took in the scene displayed to him. Sitting at a table in the corner of the room were three men were playing cards. The man closest to him had a slightly blue tinge and an X-Box controller wrapped tightly around his neck. Next to him, a man had his back against the wall and a bloody shirt with a scalpel stuck in his chest. The third man made Chuck's stomach turn into knots. The man was fine from the neck down, but it looked as if a sledgehammer hit the top of his head. It was cracked wide open, and right above his nose his head was effectively split into two.

"CHUCK! CHUCK! WAKE UP!"

Chuck opened his eyes to find the room was dark. He also felt warm. This was due to the fact his beautiful blonde goddess was lying on top of him and holding him tightly. Her lips were next to his ear whispering to him.

"Chuck, it's a nightmare. It was just a nightmare. Wake up, baby."

Chuck was shaking. "Sarah, I don't know how I'll get through this. Every time I close my eyes, they're there…staring at me. I have to sleep sometime."

He then realized he could feel Sarah's tears on his face. _Oh, God. Now I'm making her cry_. He didn't know what gave him the greater pain: the nightmares or the way he was affecting his love.

_**7:00 AM**_

Chuck opened his eyes slowly. He glanced at the clock. Four hours had passed; his wife was holding him tightly. She was acting like a blanket, shielding him from the horrors that seemed to be invading his soul. Then he realized it: he felt better, a lot better. His angel had given him a few minutes' respite from his demons, and now it felt good to feel…normal.

His lungs expanded into a large cleansing breath, and he slowly let it out. He looked down and saw his wife looking into his eyes. Chuck just looked at her; there was nothing he ever saw more beautiful in the world. "Thank you."

They shared several moments of silence. "So where do we go? I mean, I'm Charles Talley now, the Johnston house is kindling, and the only people who know you're still alive are either dead or had to sign paperwork to keep their mouths shut. Unless, of course, you don't want to fake your death."

Sarah's eyes narrowed and her mouth curled into a frown. "If you think for one second I'm raising our child on my own, you are out of your mind. I don't care if your name is Charles Irving Bartowski or Chuck Talley." She placed her hand over his heart and looked straight into his eyes. "I married you Chuck, and it was forever. You hear me?"

Chuck nodded his head. He wasn't sure if he could speak at that moment anyway with his throat muscles constricting from his wife's words. When he did not immediately respond, Sarah playfully pinched the side of his boxers. "Anyway, it's time for you to get up."

Chuck grunted as he rolled out of bed and padded toward the bathroom. As he passed through the archway he stopped and turned around. His eyebrows furrowed, and the skin over his nose constricted. "When are you going to see the OB/GYN?"

Sarah's face erupted into a smile. Her eyes lit up brighter than they had in quite a long time. "Tomorrow afternoon."

Both eyes went to the far wall when the door slammed in the next room. Once there was no obvious threat, th0e couple stared at each other, but Chuck's eyes were once again cold and distant. Sarah opened her mouth to say something, but he walked into the bathroom to take a shower. Once the bathroom door was closed Sarah stretched on the bed and grabbed her cell phone. When she looked at the screen, she saw she had missed a text.

_Will be in LA in AM. Meet me the place of your first post card. I need to talk to you at 10:30 before I meet him. -P-_

She looked at the clock; it displayed 8:17. She took in a deep breath, as it was already shaping up to be a long day.

She then dialed a number. Seconds later, she heard a familiar voice. "Beckman, secure."

"Talley, secure."

"Well, it's official. You are now Sarah Talley. Sarah Bartowski was found in the destruction at the Johnston house." Beckman's voice was crisp and businesslike.

"Thank you, General. And thank you for setting up the meeting. I got his message this morning."

Sarah heard an exhale of air on the other end, and then Beckman's voice sounded much softer. "Are you sure this is the best course of action, Sarah? I can have Dr. Dreyfus there in a few hours."

"I realize I'm biased here, but I know he will help Chuck through this. I wish I could do it myself, but he has a way of letting your soul heal as well as your mind. It's his specialty, and I trust him."

Beckman had worked with the agent on the other end of the phone for a long time. She knew she had to wait till Sarah spoke again.

Less than thirty seconds later, Sarah continued. "I just don't know who will come out on the other side. Will that damn Intersect win?"

"He loves you, Sarah."

"I know, but his heart is not the issue. It's his mind I worry about."

When Sarah heard the water stop running she changed the subject. "Where will we be staying at?"

"The plan is to move you to a safe house closer to Chuck's other accommodations. In less than thirty minutes, you'll have a Secret Service detail at the hotel. And before you try to argue, this is from the President himself. I will be there in a few days to explain. It appears I need to be out of Washington. See you then."

Sarah shook her head softly with her chin just a bit down. "Yes, ma'am. I'll see you…" Sarah did not finish because she realized the General had already hung up.

When Chuck stepped out of the bathroom he was already dressed. Sarah gave him a pout, and his response was to shrug and nod to the door.

"Your turn."

Sarah got up and got some clothes together. As she headed for the bathroom, a playful thought went through her mind. She slowly disrobed, dropping each article of her sleepwear piece by piece, making sure Chuck got a good look. By the time she got to the door, she was completed naked. As she entered the bathroom, swaying her hips as she went in, she saw the reflection of her husband in the mirror. The dropped lower jaw, the glazed look on his eyes, and the inability to move were the most welcome sights she had seen in days.

She couldn't help but grin. _My Chuck is still in there._

_**Hermosa Beach - 10:30 AM**_

After dropping Chuck off at the safe house with the new security detail, Sarah left for the beach. Yet another thing about Chuck she loved was he did not need to know where she was going every waking moment. He knew that when the time was right, she would tell him. Unfortunately, she had no idea how she was going to tell him about this.

Sarah sat down at the hamburger stand and waited. For some reason her contact always wanted to meet at some type of place where clogged arteries were the specialty of the house. She had almost broken Chuck of the need for fried food once a day, and here she was with two orders of burgers and fries. Oh well, she was already betraying her husband. In for a penny, in for a pound, right?

_Damn it Sarah_, she thought to herself. _This is for him. Yeah, he'll be mad, but this is for the best._

Sarah almost jumped from the table when she heard a deep, gravelly voice behind her. "It appears I have caught you in an unusual moment. I know I'm quiet, but I'm not that quiet."

Sarah turned and looked at the man known as the Padre, taking small comfort in the fact he looked as invisible as a beach bum with his faded swim trunks and stretched out t-shirt. The frayed jungle camouflage hat sat on his head like the vet he was. Sarah couldn't wait until she could wear something old that reminded her of something of her past. _Soon_, she thought.

"I seem to be distracted by the smell of cholesterol on a bun," Sarah replied while sweeping her blonde locks over her ear.

The man took a bite of his burger. He smiled contentedly. "I never get to eat this when I'm fulfilling my duties as a priest. So, Mrs. Bartowski, what is so important that I get a call from a Cardinal asking me to get a flight to L.A. in an hour?"

Sarah absentmindedly ran a French fry back and forth through a puddle of ketchup on her plate. She was having difficulty holding the Padre's gaze. "As of two days ago, it's Mrs. Talley. What do you know about my husband?"

"Not much. When I found out you were married, I wanted to know who the lucky guy was. I started asking around, but I learned a long time ago when the doors close fast to stop looking for answers. This time, they were slammed shut before I could finish asking the question. That made me think this guy was someone special, which piqued my curiosity even more. Eventually, I figured if He wanted me to know, He would tell me. Although, I have to admit, that surprised me a bit, too."

Sarah lifted her head from the condiment-covered potato and raised an eyebrow. The man across from her just smiled, although it didn't make it to his eyes. "Those kinds of doors tend to close quickly when you're in deep, deep cover. Usually assassination missions," Sarah said quietly.

He slowly shook his head. "I can't be involved with that, Sarah. I'm not returning to the field as an assassin. You may have been called one once, but we both know the truth."

Sarah sighed. She knew a small amount about his past. It made hers look almost idyllic by comparison. "I know you wouldn't, and I would never think to ask that of you. This is a completely different situation." She looked at his plate. It was almost done. "If you're ready, let's take a walk. I need an hour and we really need to make sure no one overhears what I'm going to tell you."

When he smiled this time, it reached his eyes, and he spoke like a ranch hand straight out of the musical _Oklahoma!_ "Well shucks, Mrs. Talley, I'm just a simple priest. I'll listen to whatever you gots ta say."

The smile left as they stood up to throw away the wrappers. They began to walk along the beach. He put his hand on her shoulder and spoke as if he was whispering to someone on a stage. "What have you gotten yourself into?"

It took an hour, but Sarah explained to her companion the entire story that was Chuck Bartowski. In some ways, it still amazed her she had stayed in deep cover…officially…for all those years. In the time before Chuck, she had sent the Padre postcards every few weeks, but the Intersect project pushed that to every few months. The cards had mentioned the ups and downs, although she could never mention her husband. But now, thanks to Beckman, she was able to tell him just about everything.

Sarah stopped in her tracks. The Shaw issue never got easier. It always seemed to affect her. After the third time Sarah attempted to continue, she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she turned her head, she was grateful to see a face without judgment.

"Within the near future, Mrs. Bartowski," the Padre said with a smile before he continued. "You are going to learn how to ask for forgiveness."

A smile appeared on Sarah's face, and they started to walk again. "I thought you had given up on getting me to go to church."

"Never," Sarah's companion replied in a perfect British accent. The two shared a laugh. "The person you need to ask forgiveness of is yourself. Sarah, you need to learn that no one is harder on you than you are. I know the way you deal with others. You were patient with Chuck at the start, you leaned to work with John Casey, but you won't cut yourself the same slack you gave them. If you can learn to forgive yourself about that part of your past, you will be so much happier. Trust me."

They walked a few steps before Sarah's head shot up. "Hey, when did this become about me?"

The Padre snickered. "Sarah, if you think I would pass up the chance to help one of my favorite people in the world, you really are crazy."

After taking a deep breath, Sarah was able to continue. A smile graced Sarah's lips when she recalled the train trip to Europe she took with Chuck…heavily edited in deference to the Padre. The smile stayed put until the events of the last few days came up.

Sarah felt that same comforting arm around her. "Give yourself some time."

She smiled and brushed some hair back from her face. "You know, you are part of a very small group of men who are allowed to hug me."

He tilted his head to the side and looked out to the ocean before ending the one-armed hug. "I know this is a bit of an odd question, but Mrs. Talley, could you tell me who they are?"

Sarah looked out at the ocean as she read off the list. "My husband, my brother-in-law, my father, you, and John Casey."

Sarah was shocked to see the Padre do a double-take. Rare was the occasion when someone got something past him. "John Francis Casey giving someone a hug? I can't even picture that. My, how things have changed. When I first heard of what happened to you, John Casey was exactly the kind of killer I thought of. But I guess now he's not the burnout he once was?" Sarah nodded in confirmation, which made the Padre break out in a huge grin. "Oh, now I HAVE to meet the man who melted Sarah Walker and brought John Casey back in from the cold."

Sarah gave a shy smile. Chuck did all of that and more. So much more. She didn't want to lose that man, and the Padre was her only shot to retrieve him.

They walked further down the beach before he spoke again. "OK, Sarah. I gather the next part of the story is where I become needed, so it's time to fill me in."

Sarah took a deep breath. "About a year ago Chuck and I were listening to some music and sipping some wine…."

_**Burbank, CA – One Year Ago**_

The rain hit the windows at Casa Bartowski at a constant rate. Inside, a far too rare occurrence was underway. Chuck was seated on the floor using the sofa as a backrest while his wife was lying down and using his lap for a pillow. Even though it was the middle of the afternoon, both of them were still in their sleepwear. Chuck had his pajama bottoms and a 'Byte Me' t-shirt on, while Sarah wore a faded Buy More t-shirt Chuck used to wear himself. The TV was not on, but Bon Iver could be heard in the background, filling the room like a candle at midnight. Chuck was reading _Children of Dune_ and his wife was reading the latest Dresden files.

Chuck held his Kindle book reader in his left hand so that he could continue to rub circles on his wife's back. When he felt her muscles become taut he put the kindle to the side and brushed a few strands of her golden hair to the side of her head, trapping it behind her ear.

"Baby, what's wrong?" he asked in a soft voice.

Sarah's gaze never left her Kindle. "Nothing, Chuck. Nothing is wrong."

Instead of going back to his book, he just began to tap gently on her back. After a few seconds, Sarah slowly sat up and looked into her husband's eyes. "Chuck, I think we need to get a plan together."

Chucks face contorted and he looked to his left. "Do we have a mission?"

Sarah smiled and her hand rubbed his leg. "No, a couple of days ago Casey and I were talking. He was on a bit of a paranoid kick."

"I thought we decided conversations with a paranoid Casey were to be avoided at all costs."

Sarah heard a giggle escape her lips. "You are always making me laugh when I want to talk about things."

"Is it my fault I'm so charming and funny?"

Sarah smiled at him and pushed herself up to give him a kiss. She caressed his cheek as she looked deeply into his eyes. "Chuck, we need to talk about what happens if I am kidnapped."

His brow scrunched in confusion. "Is that all, Sarah? That's an easy one: I go in and get you."

She took a deep breath and held his face. "Chuck, I gave up a long time ago trying to get you not to risk your life for me, but you can't just swoop in and save the day like you're Superman. There's more to it than that now. You are going to have to send a message."

She was silent for a moment as she collected her thoughts. "Chuck, we both know that kids are somewhere in our future. If someone takes me, you have to make a statement. You have to make them think twice about ever taking a Bartowski. It has to be fast and it has to be brutal. You can't show compassion if someone comes after our family. Do you understand?"

_**Hermosa Beach – Present Day**_

"It took a while, but he agreed to it," Sarah said with sadness resounding in her voice. "Padre, it was horrible. He did exactly what I asked of him. Chuck thought I was the only person he knew who was still alive. It was pure luck everyone else was OK. When he began the final assault, it was like one of those shoot-'em-up movies. In less than 10 minutes he had killed…damn near everyone. He was quick, and he was brutal, just like I told him it had to be.

Sarah felt heaviness come over her heart. "I know…I know it was necessary, Padre. I told him it was, but now that it's over…" Sarah turned to her friend as she wiped a tear from her eye. "There is no way I can lose him. I can't."

"Sarah," the Padre said gently. He didn't get a response. "Sarah!" He waited until she turned to him, her crystal blue eyes still welling with tears. "I can't work miracles, but I can't see the Lord bringing me here to do nothing."

Sarah opened her mouth to speak but couldn't find her voice. After a couple of tries, it was soft and distant. "Did I ever tell you the moment I fell for my husband? I know it's weird, but I know…exactly when it happened."

The Padre grinned. "Now that is a story I would like to hear. And that is not weird, Sarah. Not by a longshot."

"I was sent to find out some information from a mark. I traced it to a computer and electronics store. There wasn't anything remarkable about the place. Honestly, he sounded like a bit of a geek at first, doing some song about…Vicky Vale, I believe it was. But suddenly he saw me, and I realized he wasn't a geek. His eyes were so kind, Padre. After looking cold-blooded killers and some of the most vicious bastards ever to walk the Earth in the eyes as I took them down, those beautiful brown eyes just…they captivated me."

Both stood in silence for a moment. It had been a while since the two of them had an extended conversation. She had forgotten how the Padre used silence so effectively. It didn't matter if it was five seconds or five minutes. He would just stand there and wait.

"I played it off, of course; there was no way I was going to allow some mark to get to me. I remember thinking to myself, 'You don't need anyone'." Sarah raised her eyebrow when a snort emanated from the man standing next to her. "OK, I was wrong. Anyway, then a customer walked up to the counter because he had a problem with his camera. Evidently, he thought he captured his daughter's ballet recital, only he forgot to put a tape in it."

"Oops."

"Exactly. So before I knew it, Chuck was setting up a recital right in the middle of a department store. He set up a place for her to dance, the music, a background, everything. The little girl was so nervous, but there he was comforting her, telling her she was a real ballerina because she was so tall. The crowd absolutely loved it. By the time the little girl did her last pirouette, I was…hooked." Sarah shook her head in frustration. "Still I…"

"Ran out of there as fast as you could." Sarah stared at him in surprise. "I know, Sarah. You told me that story twice before. But this was the first time I saw you tell it as a girl in love rather than someone reading it off of a report. I have to admit, when we talked in Kosovo all those years ago, I never expected you would be so successful."

"Until yesterday."

"Come on, Sarah," the Padre said with considerable agitation. "Pity doesn't look good on you, and you know it."

Sarah's face turned almost into a scowl. "Being a mother without a husband will look even worse." Sarah gripped the Padre's arms. "Padre, I don't need the Intersect. I need my husband."

After a silent nod he looked down at his shoes before speaking. "Sarah, I'm going to need three things." He raised his head to see a red-eyed Sarah before he continued. There is a church I need to go to (name Church Found), it's north of here, and its isolated enough to get privacy. Then, I am going to have to talk to your team. I know you have the best husband ever, but I think you may be biased. I need a more honest assessment."

Sarah stood there as she heard the waves pound into the surf. As the water receded, she could hear the water move away from the beach. Moments later the waves crashed again and they just stood there. When the third set crashed again Sarah couldn't hold back anymore. "You said three?"

The Padre took in a deep breath. "Chuck has to be alone."

"No."

"Sarah, it will take longer to get to what's wrong."

"I said no."

"Ugh..." he said as he rubbed his chin. "Sarah, I can't bring your husband back if you won't let me."

Colonel John Casey lay in his bed. The same bed. No, the same damn bed he had been in for the last few days. Today was no different. Why nurses needed to wake him up to give him sleep medication was beyond comprehension. Besides, he hadn't touched a weapon, trimmed his Bonsai or even had a little nip of Johnny Walker in way too long. Casey shook his head. That wasn't the reason for his frustration. No, he made a commitment to be a much better grandfather than he had as a father. He hadn't seen Alex for almost a week and it agitated him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening slowly. Casey looked at his visitor, a six-foot tall gentleman with pepper grey hair and donning blue jeans and a Chicago Cubs jersey.

"I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong room," Casey said cautiously

The man smiled. "Colonel, I think you will find I am full of surprises. For example, did Mrs. Bartowski say I might be visiting?"

"She said someone might come by. Although I have to tell you, I think you wasted a trip. So you can turn around and let me enjoy the wonderful peace and quiet provided here."

The man's eyes lit up at Casey's sarcasm. Not that he could blame the Colonel for wanting out of this place. "Well, if you feel you need to call Beckman, please do…Alex. But I think you will find my clearances cover this well. Until then, I think you may need some of this."

Casey ignored the bottle the man offered, grabbed his phone and dialed a number. He noticed the crucifix hanging from the man's neck. Either he was a priest or a really committed Cubs fan.

"I don't think I need Holy Water," Casey snorted.

The man chuckled. "Well it's a good thing that isn't Holy Water."

The conversation was interrupted when the other side answered. "General, there is a gentleman here that says he has clearance to hear about my special project." Casey listened for a moment before his expression bore a scowl. "Yes ma'am, I will. Yes ma'am, much better. Thank you, ma'am. Talk to you soon."

Casey put the phone down and looked at the man in front of him. "Well, it looks like I can answer your questions. First though, what's in here?"

"Well, Colonel, I guess you'll have to find out."

John Casey slowly opened up the container and when he took a sniff of its contents a grin slowly opened on his face. He took a sip, and the smile broke even wider. Whoever this was, they didn't mess around with Black Label. "Who ARE you?"

"It's been a long time, but I used to go by Randolph Myerson."

Casey just stared at the other man. After almost a minute he shook off the surprise. "Bullshit."

Myerson just shrugged his shoulders. "That's what my DI said…about almost anything we did. He was a nasty son-of-a-bitch, but damn if he didn't keep us alive and kicking."

Myerson regarded Casey lying in a hospital bed and could sympathize with him, as it was no place he deserved to be. "You might feel useless right now, but remember what Ronald Reagan said about the Marines." Myerson stood to full attention. "Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference…"

…the Marines don't have that problem." Casey finished with a smile that transitioned into a laugh. "You, sir, can ask me anything you want. "

Casey took a manlier swig of the Blue Label Myerson brought for him. After closing his eyes and just enjoying the moment. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell someone how much of a pain in the ass Bartowski is."

After almost an hour of being debriefed by Myerson, most of which was Casey telling his tale, and the Padre asking questions to keep Casey talking, they finally got to the present day.

Myerson looked at the room across from him and ran his hand through his hair. "Colonel, did you get the update on the rescue mission from the old hospital?" Casey nodded. "Did you get the colorful version?"

Casey locked eyes with the former agent. "Yeah I think the word 'colorful' says it pretty well. The boy did me proud."

"How so?"

Casey fell silent for a moment as he thought about what Chuck did. "From the first day I met him I knew he was never going to be a killer. Of course, going after Sarah was a stupid…"

Casey trailed off when Myerson's phone beeped. He took the phone out and looked at the text message on it. Myerson didn't say a word, but Casey could tell the news he received was not good.

"I...have something I must take care of right away, Colonel. Forgive my quick exit, but we will talk again."

Myerson left the room quickly, leaving Casey to wonder if his departure had anything to do with the nerd and/or Walker.

**A/N2 Please, feel free to tell me what you think.**


	11. New Beginnings Aren't Easy

**A/N: I'm not sure when this will be done, but it will be completed. Besides this will be a trilogy, Sarah has to have her baby. I want to thank PJ for helping me with this chapter. He went above and beyond the call, especially since My Saints kicked Da Bears butts today. Yet he still decided to help. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed. The Heritage broke 100 reviews. Wow. Thanks to Joe and Dave, I have learned so much from you. Supesfan118 thanks for keeping me honest. Finally too…well you. All of you who take the time to enjoy the….stuff I put out. Thanks.**

**Yeah I don't own Chuck. I did find my season 1 and 2 dvd's.**

Ughhhh, tranqued again.

Chuck was not a fan of this, and it was starting to grate on his nerves. He opened his eyes slowly to take in his surroundings. There was not a lot of light in the room, and what was there came from a small window in the corner. On the opposite wall was an ornate wooden crucifix. The crucifix hung just to the left of the door, and the only other thing in the room was a small desk with…

"So when do I get fitted for my straightjacket?"

The Padre looked at his charge as he was sitting next to the desk, barely noticeable in the dark light. "This is not a psychiatric facility. This happens to be a great example of Occam's razor. It's Saint Andrews Monastery."

Chuck took in the man's clothes. Sure enough, he was wearing a black robe. He looked around the room again before agreeing with the man. The robe, the crucifix, and the stark furnishings confirmed what he said.

"Ahh…a monastery. For a second I thought I might be at Hogwarts." Chuck shrugged his shoulders. "Meh."

That got a grunt from the Padre.

Chuck closed an eye and focused on what he had just heard. Chuck then wiped his face with both hands, swung his feet around, and placed them on the floor. "If I didn't know any better, that grunt sounded like it came from a teammate of mine. "

The Padre leaned forward. "Colonel Casey. Good man. Of course, a lot of that's because of you. In fact, he reminds me a bit of myself."

Chuck just put his hands to his sides and stared at the man across from him. Sarah had taught him the value of silence. It took him a while, but he realized it could get people to say all sorts of things. But after almost a minute, it was obvious he was not the only person in the room who had learned that particular lesson.

_OK, maybe a joke. Break the tension.._ "Well I'm married and I will be a father soon, so I am probably not the best candidate for recruitment to be a monk."

Chuck stood up and began to stretch. As he moved he thought he heard in a quiet voice "Depends on what we're recruiting for."

"The name I have gone by for a long time is the Padre. It was what I was referred by when I was in the CIA. You don't know much about me because Langston Graham kept my files out of the Intersect."

On the last part, Chuck's head swiveled around and focused on the Padre.

"Yes, Chuck. I know about that project. I want you to understand there is not much you are going to have to hide from me. The sooner you answer my questions, the sooner I can get you home to your wife. I think Sarah misses you more than you miss her."

Chuck's mouth was slightly opened. He just looked at the Padre. It had been a while since he wasn't the one with the upper hand in the knowledge department. He finally closed his mouth when the Padre stood and handed Chuck a set of robes. "Out of respect for my fellow brethren, could you please put on the robe? After you change I'll bring you to an area where we can have a more formal discussion. It's where we will be meeting for a little while."

Chuck focused on the mere mention of any type of time frame. His shoulder muscles tensed, and his facial expression became much more serious.

"Chuck, do you want to ask me something?" When Chuck shook his head, Myerson stood up and walked toward the door. "I'll be right outside."

After Chuck nodded his head the priest left the room.

Chuck entered the room where they were going to have their meetings and was very impressed. It definitely didn't have the elegance of some of the CEO boardrooms he had seen, but it was a large, comfortable office. The walls were made of wood, as was the floor, albeit a slightly different shade. There were several paintings on the wall, another crucifix by the exit, and two huge bookcases loaded with books.

Chuck's mood softened just looking at the room. Chuck sat down in one of the chairs while the Padre sat in the chair facing him.

"What, no couch?" Chuck asked with a hint of amusement.

"I don't know what the school trained counselors do, but I find looking into someone's eyes will do the trick."

_**Bosnia 2007 **_

Sarah Walker was lying on what would generously be called almost clean sheets in what had to be the worst three-star hotel she had ever stayed at. This made a Red Roof Inn look like a swanky joint. But the hotel was the least of her problems. She was in the middle of a screwed up mission in a screwed up place in the world, and all she could think of was what she would do when the CIA recognized what a mental case they had on their hands.

It wasn't even her fault. Bryce and she were on the run at the end of the mission. Apparently, her partner had never believed the successful missions were the ones where you got the intel and could leave when you wanted to. They had gotten the intel, but now Bryce was driving out of the city like he was Mario Andretti. Of course the two vehicles following them, both loaded down with men armed to the teeth, were a great motivation to drive fast. They had gotten away and were on the other side of the city when something hit the tire. Bryce Mario Larkin lost control, and the car ended up doing several barrel rolls.

Sarah woke up in an empty warehouse. All he had left her was a note and a satellite phone. It took her nearly eight hours to make it to this fleabag motel without anyone seeing her. It had cost her half of her remaining stash of money to get a room and keep the clerk quiet. Once in the room, she got on the phone to the director and he assured her he would send someone to get her. Someone not named Larkin. There was nothing she could do but wait for her escort out of here.

Unfortunately, that gave her plenty of time to think about what Bryce did to her.

_**CIA Headquarters**_

The Padre bore huge smile as he walked to the executive offices at the CIA. It took a while, but Graham finally had his last mission ready for him. Even though he was a priest, he had been doing a little work here and there, but per their agreement, this was it.

He walked into the first office, and he saw Mrs. Landingham was sitting at her desk working as diligently as ever. Once she saw who it was, a big smile erupted on her face.

"Father, so good to see you. Are you happy to be almost rid of us?"

He just smiled at her and ran his hand through his gray hair. One thing about Mrs Landingham, it was nice to be recognized within these halls as a priest, and not an agent.

He gestured towards Graham's office. "Yes, ma'am. I don't mean to cut this short, but the Director said that he was in a bit of a rush, so if you don't mind?"

She smiled and pressed a button under her desk to open the doors. "Be careful, he's in a great mood, so he might ask you to stick around some more."

All he did was smile as he entered Graham's office. The Padre always got a kick out of entering the director's office. When he had to visit the Cardinal, a devout and humble man who was considered his immediate superior, he noticed more items on the wall than Graham had. No pictures or accolades; just a picture of the president and an empty bulletin board. He walked straight to Graham's desk and stood by it, waiting to be asked to sit down. Since Graham was a member of the Old Gray Line…even playing defensive end for the football team at West Point…the Padre knew that's how it worked in his office.

"Director," the Padre said quietly, acknowledging the man in front of him.

Graham looked up from his computer and smiled the grin that only came out when he wanted something. The Padre prepared to have to tell him no again. And the tennis match would soon begin in earnest.

"Sit down Agent Black, sit down. Take a load off."

After he sat down, Graham wasted no time getting right down to it. "I know our agreement is almost over. It was my plan to keep you here to try and have you see reason; unfortunately I do not have that luxury. I need you to go to Bosnia and do your thing. This agent is injured, so time is of the essence."

"What is the Agent's name?"

"Sarah Walker."

The Padre stood up and looked straight at his soon-to-be-former boss. "Could you tell me why you asked me all the way down here to help a woman you know I can't help? You know I won't help assassins get back into the field, especially one you called your enforcer."

Graham stood up and walked around the desk. He sat on the corner of it and took a deep breath. "Look, Padre. This one is different. This case is personal to me. I recruited her a long time ago. I helped make her who she is. I'm the one who brought her into the Agency to give her some kind of life. Now I am worried that I'll end up taking more than I gave."

Graham leaned over his desk and grabbed a file. He handed it to his old friend. "Take a look at it, I have arraigned for my private jet to take you to Bosnia to pick her up. It leaves in two hours. At Reagan there will be a burn bag for the file. Until then, take a moment to read it. If you still feel the same way after reading it, just pick her up and bring her back."

Graham took a deep breath as a tired smile came upon his face. "I have to try. I am responsible for this one. Not the agency, me. This is the only way I know to help her."

He placed a hand on the padre's shoulder and took a deep breath. "You are the only one, my friend, who can save her. I'm responsible for what that woman has become. You're the only chance at redemption. For me, and even more importantly, for her."

_**Lady of Lourdes Church – Near Reagan National Airport**_

The Padre sat in one of the last pews in the back of the church. He had been sitting there for nearly an hour. His flight would leave in forty minutes to pick up what he thought was Graham's protégé. The almost ex-agent liked these small parish churches. They were quiet places where the people who came actually wanted to spend time in church. No politics or espionage, for the most part, an expression of their faith. It was where he thought he could go over the agent's file again. Normally, Graham wouldn't have asked him to take a case like this. Even though he was an agent, he was still a priest. He would aid those in need, but he would not put a weapon back together to go kill again. What he found was much more. Agent Walker was in serious need of his services. The more he saw the more he realized this was an amazing opportunity to save a lost soul.

_So Sarah Walker had a lot of aliases. So do you, Wilkerson._ This woman was Graham's enforcer.

Was.

_She is a cold and calculating killing machine. She doesn't know any different; what was your excuse? _

The Padre looked up at the large crucifix that hung above the altar in the small church. He stared into the eyes of Jesus. He wasn't sure if he was doing that to get some answers, but he got one anyway.

_Why am I thinking of going? Because He may want you to._

That was enough. He stood up, got to the edge of the pew, knelt down facing the altar and made the sign of the cross. There was a wry smile on his face as he left the church to catch his flight.

_**14 Hours Later**_

It was a long walk from where the taxi dropped Wilkerson off. After a nine hour flight in a G-IV, with a tailwind the entire way, he then had to lose the spooks that might recognize him as a spook, even though he was officially a courier. Then he went around the building just to make sure no one was still following him, and entered the building Agent Walker was in. The hallway was dusky at best. There was a little light coming in from the hallway with a few of the overhead lights actually working. In fact it looked a little too close to a science fiction movie he'd seen. Wilkerson wasn't sure what made him smile more: the movie reference, or the fact on the other side of this door was his last mission.

The Padre took a deep breath and knocked. "Come in," was the reply from the sweet-sounding voice on the other side of the door.

When the Padre entered the room the voice did not match what he saw. An attractive blond was half-sitting, half-lying on the bed. Her hair was tied in a tight ponytail and piercing blue eyes were staring intensely. What really caught his attention was the Smith & Wesson pointed at him.

Wilkerson raised his arms so Sarah could see his palms and that nothing was hidden under his jacket. "Agent Walker, I am unarmed."

Walker slowly lowered her weapon. "Are you kidding me? I ask for an extraction, and I get an old man who doesn't have the good sense to bring a weapon to a dangerous assignment?"

That's when he saw Walker's eyes. They looked very familiar. They looked like the eyes he saw in the mirror every day.

_**Present Day**_

Chuck closed his eyes for a second and then opened them, but all he did was concentrate on a spot on the floor. "What are my eyes telling you?"

"Chuck, they are telling me nothing new, but tell me this. What happened yesterday?"

"When? There is a lot of time in twenty-four hours. Just ask Kiefer Sutherland," Chuck said still looking at the same spot.

"I know you want to get out of here, but being a smartass will only make you stay longer."

"I woke up next to my Sarah, and we stayed in bed a little longer after that. It had been a really long day"

_**Yesterday Morning**_

"Team, thank you for having this meeting in your hotel room. This will officially be the debrief from what happened."

Sarah grabbed her husband's hand. "I guess that answers if this will be professional or personal meeting."

"If anyone asks, say that this meeting has taken a lot longer than what it actually will. After that, it appears I will have a lot of time on my hands. I have been personally tasked to find out who is responsible for the actions against the family yesterday. It will take at least two weeks BVOP."

Morgan looked between Sarah and Beckman with a confused look on his face. "BVOP?"

General Beckman had a scowl come across her face, but the ambient light in the room danced in the General's eyes. "Field grade officers really need to know their acronyms."

"Well, yeah. That's a good point, General. But I'm still a few years away from being a Major."

The General took out a sheet of paper and read aloud. "By verbal order of the President," Beckman began, emphasizing the four words to which the acronym BVOP referred. "Captain Morgan Guillermo Grimes is hereby promoted to the rank of Major."

After she finished reading, she handed the new major the orders as well as a small box. Morgan opened the box to find two silver oak clusters inside. A smile erupted on Morgan's face as he was congratulated by Chuck and Sarah.

Beckman waited for a moment for everybody to refocus. "Moving on, the National Intelligence Director is packing his desk today. The President asked for his resignation when he complained I would not put a sanction on the Intersect project. I'm to stay out of D.C. for at least two weeks to keep the press from finding a scandal."

Chuck's eyes narrowed and his mouth slowly opened before Beckman continued. "That's right, Chuck. I never ordered the sanction. Next time, don't make conclusions before you know all the facts."

_**Present Day**_

"So Beckman finished the briefing, we went to eat lunch, and then I found myself here."

"OK, Chuck. Why are you here?"

Chuck let out a slow uneven breath. "I told you: my family thinks I'm nuts."

"I am pretty sure, Chuck, that they would not call you nuts. I have talked to most of them, and none of them think you're insane."

Chuck sat straight up and looked the Padre after a snort came out of his mouth. "OK, they sent me here to get some rest. So do you think I belong here?"

The Padre closed an eye and stared at Chuck. "I think this is a great place to stop. Lunch is about to be served. We will meet later. When you hear the bells toll, please go to the Chapel. You do not have to participate, but I ask that you be respectful of the men here by showing up and sitting in the Chapel."

Once Chuck nodded his consent, the two men left to get lunch.

_**Rental Home - Valyermo, CA**_

Sarah padded into the dining area of the house she was staying at the NSA rented till the mission was over. The house next door was for the detail protecting the monastery. Already sitting at the table was Ellie and Auntie Diane. She looked around the rest of the room but did not see her private security detail anywhere around. With wide-open eyes, Sarah made herself known and sat down at the table at the chair facing the door. Her two in-laws were sitting across from each other drinking coffee.

Sarah smiled at Ellie. She then turned towards Beckman. "General?"

Diane gave a gentle laugh. "It looks like pregnancy has already affected the super spy. I don't recall ever remembering Sarah sleeping past eight."

Ellie brushed her bangs out of her face and motioned towards Sarah. "Really? As I recall, this one assassinated an alarm clock that once dared to wake her up early. In fact, a new one became Chuck's official Christmas present."

The older woman took a sip of her coffee when a curious expression slowly made itself visible. "'Official' Christmas present? That's an odd way of phrasing it. Did Chuck give Sarah an 'official' present every Christmas?"

Sarah had a sly smile come over her face. Beckman glanced at her in confusion, which only made Sarah smile even more.

"Don't feel bad, Aunt Diane. Until recently, I couldn't figure why Sarah was careful when she would wear it," Ellie said.

"Wear what, Eleanor?"

Ellie motioned with her coffee cup at Sarah as she raised her arm. The silver charm bracelet Chuck gave her for Christmas glistened from the light in the room. Beckman's mouth dropped. Sarah had known the General for years, and this was the first time she was silent.

"Mary?" Beckman whispered in shock.

Sarah nodded. "Chuck gave me so many things I will always treasure. This was the first of them."

Beckman stood and took a few steps from the table. She couldn't stop her eyes from getting misty. "Sarah, I have to say, that bracelet is perfect for you to wear."

The women were quiet for a little while as they sipped their coffee. Sarah looked at her best friend and saw something she had seen in many people, but it was not something she liked to see on Ellie.

Sarah slid over a bit and put her arm around her. "He is safe and he'll be OK."

Ellie's eyes constricted as she stared at Sarah. "Physically, sure. But what about his mind? Are we ever going to get the old Chuck back?" Ellie continued to get worked up. "On top of that, how can you leave him alone? He is scared, hurt, maybe even angry, and you're not even close to him. I heard what he did. That is not the Chuck I know. What did you do to him?"

Sarah looked like she was slapped. Beckman quickly intervened. "Eleanor, I know that you are worried, but in order for this to work, it has to be one-on-one."

"Ellie…" Ellie turned back to Sarah, who looked like she was about to lose control. Sarah's entire body shook as tears formed in her eyes. "Ellie… I didn't have… a choice. I wanted to be there with him. They wouldn't let me stay there. God, I would have given anything to…to…"

Diane walked quickly around the table to Sarah, who stood up and looked ready to bolt out of the house.

"He'll be fine… He has to be." Her tears came unabated as Beckman grabbed her and guided her back into the chair. Ellie looked down like she was a seven-year-old who had just stolen a lollipop. Beckman held on to Sarah, something she never thought she'd be doing to one of the best agents in the government. But she wasn't holding and comforting Agent Walker; she was holding and comforting her newest relative, her nephew's love.

"Ellie, he has to be fine. Why can't I control myself?" Sarah whispered as she wrapped her arms around herself.

Both ladies looked up and saw Ellie standing there with a very large chocolate bar. "Sarah, have some of this. It will make you feel better."

Sarah gingerly took the candy bar but just held it in her hands. "I am really sorry. Chuck will be OK."

Ellie shook her head. "Sarah, you do know I went to medical school, right?"

Sarah gave her a weird look, but Ellie had that famous bulldogged determination in her face. "Eat…the…chocolate."

Sarah opened her mouth to say something, but Ellie put her hand out. "Sarah…"

Sarah lowered her eyes and bit a piece of chocolate. She rolled her eyes as her smile slowly grew. Once again, Ellie knew what she was talking about.

Ellie turned and faced her aunt. "OK, so now that she will be occupied for a few seconds, what are your plans for the next few days?

"I was told to find out who is responsible for the attack. The good news is, I already do. As soon as I get my team together we'll get the…gentleman who did this."

Sarah slid to the front of the couch. When she looked at her boss, General Beckman recognized the look, which caused a smile to reach the rest of her face. "General I would like to participate in the operation."

Beckman opened her mouth, but Ellie interrupted her. "Sarah, are you out of your mind? You are pregnant. You've been examined twice to make sure you were OK after being put through all of these highly stressful situations."

'Ellie, I know, but I was given a clean bill of health yesterday."

"Yeah, and look how that turned out." Ellie now knew why Sarah fit in so well with the Bartowski clan: she was as stubborn as one. "Well, if you are going, so am I."

General Beckman cleared her throat before replying. "Ladies, it's a good thing I came to that very conclusion about thirty minutes ago. That's why I wanted Devon to stay near the monastery with the rest of our team." With that, Beckman picked up her cell phone and dialed a number. "Please come in," she said to the person on the other end of the line.

A few seconds later the front door opened and the rest of the team walked in. General Beckman stood up. "Hello, ladies."

Zondra and Carina looked at the other group. "Hello, ladies," they said at the same time.

Sarah laughed. "I guess all that practice we did to speak at the same time was worth it."

Beckman leaned over to a now-standing Ellie. "Don't tell them this, but I always thought I should be a member of the CAT squad."

A/N: Curious what you think. I know where this is going. Not sure how it will get there.


	12. Diagnosis is just the Beginning

**A/N: I just want to thank every review, Comment, favorite, and read of this story. I can now say I have written a 50,000 story. A lot of that is due to PJ Murphy. He cleaned up this chapter, and made it better. Thanks to _NeilN for some help on this. I wanted it to be right. So I even asked Catrogueto make sure I got the psychological parts straight.**

**I hope you enjoy it… please let me know if you do.**

Chuck mentally sighed for the fourth time since the church service started. Firstly, he hadn't been to any type of religious service in decades. The last time he went to church was when he had been cornered by Morgan's mom and been forced. Secondly, he had forgotten what Morgan called 'Catholic aerobics': Stand, sit, stand, sit, kneel, stand….jeez, would they just make up their mind?

The people attending the service stood up…again…but this time the priest, a Father Toups, one of the monks at the monastery, came up to the lectern and began to speak

"Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the lord with all your heart, and do not lead on your own understanding."

Once he had read the passage, everyone sat down and the monk began to address the assembly. "This is a little different mass we are having today. We have several visitors who are not Catholic, so I would like to change the homily a bit."

The Padre paused for a moment before speaking again. "So what is this Proverb about? It's a simple one. It says a single man can not accomplish anything on his own. Our greatest leaders in history, Gandhi, FDR, Washington, Pope John Paul, all of them were great men, but all depended on other people. Once you decide to do it yourself, you have decided to not achieve what is possible."

Chuck sat in his pew with his face flush, and his eyes looked like they could burn a hole through the side of the Chapel. _Doesn't he__think I'll know this was meant for me? _

"Never think you are alone, if you want to know if you're alone, catch a sunset at a lake or a beach. Go, look at the smile of a young child, or the look of two people at a quiet lunch staring into each other's eyes. Trust me, there is no way that beauty exists on its own. Sure it may take a thousand years to achieve, but sometimes, even at the Grand Canyon, something can happen in an instant that will take your breath away."

...

It always amazed the Padre how much faster the world moved now, especially when it came to research. What used to take a phone call to a contact in the Pentagon, and then as much as twelve hours waiting for a call back as they searched the files, now took seconds. Luckily, his hunch paid off. A doctor who had helped him with the extraction of an agent five years before was in a military medical unit nearby.

The best part was the doctor had the ability to keep his mouth shut. As a result of just a few minutes at a keyboard, he sat with his last extracted agent waiting to see the doctor.

Doctor Duke Forrest fit right in with the room. He was of average height, six foot, average build, and his hair was a soft brown. The room was all off white and could be any other doctor's office he had been to. The biggest difference was a complete lack of advertising or any other diagrams anywhere in the room.

It didn't take long for Forrest to start poking and prodding Sarah's shoulder. He may have been trying to be gentle, but with the look Agent Walker was giving him, he may not have been doing so well. He slowly rolled his chair away from the agent.

The doctor nervously stood up. "I think I'll get Spearchucker in here to look at that arm of yours, Agent Smith," Forrest said with a southern drawl. "He's the best bone doctor in the place." Dr. Forrest stepped out of the room quickly, mumbling something about a blonde Major and warm lips.

Once the doctor had left the room Sarah looked at the Padre with a smile that was anything but warm. "I thought you said he could be trusted."

The Padre smiled back at the younger agent. "He can. Look, these aren't your normal doctors. For example, most have been near combat. They can keep their mouths shut,

All Sarah did was nod. However it was obvious that she did not have any faith in that statement.

Less than a minute later, a new doctor came into the room. The nametag said _O. __Jones, MD_. He was well over 6 feet tall with athletic broad shoulders. Even though the man sported grey hair, he looked more like a professional athlete than a doctor. In fact, he played pro football for several years with the 49ers and held the record for the javelin throw at USC for thirty years before being drafted into the Army. His teammates gave him the archaic nickname of 'Spearchucker'. Given how much teasing he took in his youth about his first name, he'd take Spearchucker over Oliver any day of the week, no matter how racist it may have sounded.

"Captain Forrest said I should take a look at this shoulder."

He walked straight to the patient and examined her much more tenderly. After a few minutes he tested her range of motion. Mid-way through, Sarah grunted in pain.

"Don't be such a big baby," Dr. Jones said with a grin, ignoring the evil glare from her. "I figure since I don't have a chart to write in, I'm assuming you'd have to kill me if you told me your name, so we'll just stick with Agent Smith."

No one responded to his attempt to lighten the mood. "I am sure nothing is broken. You've just done a number on the ligaments in there. Just to be on the safe side, we will get you some x-rays. If I'm right, after picking up a sling for that shoulder, you'll be able to leave."

Dr. Jones gave Sarah a smile and left the room. Sarah then turned to the Padre. "What's next?"

"First off, we need to get you to Ramstein Air Force Base and get you out of here."

Sarah's eyes constricted. "Why are we using military channels?"

The Padre shrugged. "Unfortunately, I don't think even if you had diplomatic immunity they would let you leave without detaining you. Evidently your partner left a swath of destruction, and the locals are…well, not happy."

He sat forward in his chair. "There is one thing I am going to need from you."

After waiting a moment or two, Sarah raised an eyebrow to acknowledge him. "Agent Walker, I need you to actually answer some questions so I can help you." Sarah huffed in frustration. "Or, please continue the sarcasm. It's delightful, and also so helpful in getting you back in the field when this is over. That sense of humor you have is amazing."

Sarah stared at the Padre, but he just kept a straight face as he waited for her to respond. As different as people were, there was almost always this moment, the moment where it could go either way. His charge was unknowingly making her decision to decide whether she would heal now, or make it much worse by waiting.

_Now__comes__the waiting game. Just have to keep quiet 'til she answers. Shouldn't take more than a few hours._

**Three Minutes later**

_I wonder if I'll get bored staying in the same place once I leave the agency. Will they move me to a parish, or will I stay in a monastery?_

**Two minutes after that**.

Sarah's soft words came out quietly and with great hesitancy. "So, I thought you are some type of magic man that could transform any broken agent."

_Looks like this might end up well after all, _the Padre thought.

He let out a short laugh. "The only person I know who could do that died two thousand years ago." When Sarah's only reply was a raised eyebrow he continued. "Do not worry Agent Walker. I'm not trying to convert you. Besides, it's not my job to transform you."

Sarah's pupils focused directly on him. "Then what is your job?"

He smiled. "To get you to transform yourself."

The Padre stood up and smoothed out his slacks and straightened out his gig line. "First, we need to get you out of the area. Thanks to your partner, we need to do it fast. Then, it's a plane to Ramstein for at least a couple of days until you can finish helping me."

Wilkerson could see the walls coming back up on the agent. "What is that, oh wise one?" she asked in a bitter tone.

One thing the Padre could never figure out was why people resisted change. Thankfully, it was easy to fix. "I'm going to need you to actually ask some questions so I can help you with your obvious suffering. Again, it's up to you. You could be sarcastic. Either way this will be over soon. I will not help assassins, but I will help people who want to be helped. Besides, I am so enjoying that defense mechanism of yours; you're so hilarious."

_Thank goodness she already made the decision. Now she just has to realize it. _His charge was listless and obviously exhausted, which worked in his favor. Now she has to realize the right path.

Sarah clenched her fists till her knuckles became white with a slight tremor in her hands. Her eyes were closed tightly. They slowly began to relax as she opened her eyes. "OK, let's get this over with. Ask your questions."

He stared at Sarah for a moment before a smile came across his face. "I hope you don't think this is over. It has only begun."

**Present Day at the Monastery****– Abbot's Office**

The office seemed a lot gloomier today than the day before. The cumulus clouds were blocking a lot of the sunlight from pouring into the office leaving the room, feeling as though a storm was coming. It also did not help Chuck was not happy. Based on the lack of fire in his eyes and the tense muscles in his neck, Chuck Bartowski was pissed. To make matters worse, the guy who was supposed to be getting him to his family was five…no, make that six minutes late.

**On the Other side of the Office**

Wilkerson continued to glance at his watch every thirty seconds with no movement at all. It was an old trick to make the subject wait for a little while to build up anxiety. It was SOP in interrogations. Although, if this was an interrogation, it would have been hours instead of the few minutes that Bartowski had been waiting. He wanted Chuck aggravated, not homicidal. He might have waited even longer, but after Father Toups' sermon, he had no doubt Chuck would be agitated. The Padre never talked to the Abbot about what would be in his sermon, but because of it Chuck was in his office doing a slow burn.

When someone had the training Chuck had he would normally wait much longer. However, from what he learned from his meeting with Chuck's family, and following today's sermon, he knew he had to get in there. Once he entered the room he grabbed the handle tightly and slammed the door.

Wilkerson kept his face neutral as he entered the room. It may not have been good enough to win in a poker tournament, but it served its purpose as he walked around Chuck to his seat. From the tightness in his muscles and the veins popping out of Chuck's neck it was obvious he chose the right time to enter the office. Wilkerson completed his trip to his chair and sat down in front of him.

A light tone escaped from his lips. "Good morning, Chuck."

A terse 'Hello' was all he got in return.

When nothing more was said, The Padre put his hand on top of his head and rubbed his short gray hair. "Well now that the small talk is over, let's begin where we left off yesterday."

The Padre leaned over to one side and grabbed a handkerchief out of his rear pocket. "OK, so you were at the meeting with Beckman, and then you went to lunch. Where was lunch?"

Chuck reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We went to same fancy place Ellie wanted to go. Normally she has the money but would never use it. But, since the government was footing the bill…_bon appétit_."

"Did anything interesting happen?"

"Not really. We ate lunch, and then we headed to the OB/GYN. Sarah hadn't been to the doctor yet, so she wanted to get there early."

"So, everything was great at the restaurant and then it was off to the doctors?"

Chuck slid back into his chair. "Correct. Then I woke up and was in this place."

The Padre smiled. Chuck adjusted his collar as small bead of sweat appeared on his forehead. After facing terrorists, drug dealers, and despots, he was used to have the crap scared out of him. Although right now, the smile on the face of the guy he was looking at was doing the trick quite nicely. The Padre's grin had nothing on the Cheshire cat.

"So Chuck, how did it happen?"

The Padre could feel Chuck's glare bore through him. He continued to wait patiently.

"_Chuck you have to open up to me.__Remember, I'm supposed to be the quiet one in this family," Sarah said with an intense look in her eyes._

"_Sarah, I promise you if something was wrong I would tell you. Why can't people believe__me?"_

_Chuck bolted out of his chair. "I…AM…FINE!" he shouted, folding__tightly against his chest, his torso rocking back and forth._

_Sarah got off the bench__and approached Chuck, placing her hands on his shoulders. "OK,baby. So tell me what's going on inside your head."_

"_Um, I want a baguette?"_

"_Chuck, you know what I mean.__Talk to me."_

_Chuck slowly turned and walked to the window of the exam room. Being on the third floor, Chuck was surprised how far he could see on a clear day. If Sarah had not seen the stiff shoulder and his super straight posture, she could still tell he was as wired as those__robo-rabbits he went on and on about in that e-book he read a while back._

"_Are you ok?"_

_His hands squeezed into fists. "Would everyone stop asking about whether__I am__OK.__I.__AM.__FINE."__Chuck took a deep breath before continuing. "Sarah, I'm just keeping an eye out in case…."_

_BAM__!_

_The walls of the thin office shook when the door closed in the exam room._

_Chuck saw the agent enter the room, an inch shorter than Casey but wearing a very-intimidating G-Man suit. The agent smiled and slowly raised the .45 in his hand. Chuck felt the flash take over and it all went dark._

"….The next thing I know I'm here."

For the next twenty seconds, the Padre just stared at Chuck. Slowly a frown fell upon his face. "So that's what you're going with? A rogue agent came in from out of nowhere, alone, and pointed a gun at you?"

After another long pause the Padre spoke when Chuck did not. "Chuck, we both know you're a very smart guy. That answer does not reflect it."

Chuck sat forward in his chair. "Look, I know what I saw."

After the third intense gaze from Wilkerson in as many minutes his face relaxed, and the smile came back. "Enough of that. So Chuck, what did you eat at the restaurant?"

Chuck sat back in his chair and took a deep breath. "I decided to try something new. I tried a pizza. It was OK, I had a couple slices."

"That's it?"

"I guess I just wasn't hungry. We left shortly after."

"What kind of pizza?"

"I got a supreme, no olives or anchovies." For the first time this meeting a twinkle of light seemed to be in his eye. "Sarah likes to steal a bite now and again, so I make sure I don't order olives."

The man in front of Chuck seemed to disappear before his eyes. He had seen Sarah do this a couple of times, and when he asked her about it the answer was always the same: _don't worry about it_.

After a short moment Wilkerson shook his head and the corners of his mouth barely lifted. "Yeah I used to know someone like that."

Myerson cleared his throat, and then asked "So what did Sarah and Ellie have for lunch?"

Any happiness on Chucks face disappeared instantly. "Sarah had a hamburger without pickles. That's weird because she loves pickles. It must be a pregnancy thing. At least I haven't had to run to the store for Rocky Road."

"Chuck that's a nice story, but deflecting only delays you from getting out of here."

"I am telling you all I know."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Who walked thought the door at the hospital?"

"Some agent."

"What did he look like?"

"Suit, tie, dress shoes, mean look…"

The Padre put a hand out to stop him. "So at the lunch what did you're sister Ellie eat? We haven't mentioned her."

Chuck shook his head and took a deep breath. "She had a shish-kabob."

The grin reappeared on the Padre. "Oh man that is such a great dish. I love the taste, the smell, and bringing it on fire doesn't hurt."

A much softer "yeah…smell" came from Chuck.

"How did it taste?"

"I really didn't want any of Ellie's dish. Besides, like I said, we rushed out of there."

"Ohhh. So what did the agent look like?"

Chuck sighed. "OK, he appeared to be Hispanic. Over six feet tall, and on the lean side."

"OK, so Casey is in another hospital, Grimes is with him, and neither fits your description. Chuck, are you sure he was an agent?"

Chuck was now on the edge of his seat. "Look I told you, he entered the room I saw him lift his arm. Why can't you understand it? He…was…an…AGENT."

Wilkerson stood up and let out an audible breath. "OK, this is over. I can't help you if you're not gonna tell me the truth. "

Chuck put his balled fists against his temples and closed his eyes. "I am TELLING YOU the truth!"

The Padre looked at him. "So the guy entered the room…"

Chuck put his hands in his lap and looked up at him. "He entered the room and raised his hand."

"What was in his hand?"

"A stethoscope. I mean."

The Padre sat back in his chair and waited for Chuck to catch up.

"Oh my goodness, he had a stethoscope. He wasn't wearing a suit."

"No."

"He wasn't an agent."

"No."

"He was Sarah's Doctor."

"Yes," the Padre replied softly.

"Oh, frak. Oh, my God, I am crazy."

The Padre scooted closer to Chuck. "No Chuck you're not crazy. Just in a lot of pain."

Chuck buried his head in his hands. "I'm a monster." His breathing became ragged as he shook uncontrollably. "All those people I killed…"

As the blood left his cheeks he became pale as he just held his head in his hands as his voice was coming so softly it was barely audible. "I slaughtered them, I became what…"

"Chuck…"

"Sarah, how..."

"Chuck…"

"…love me. I am…"

"Bartowski!"

Chuck raised his head to see the stern gaze of the Padre. "Stop acting like a whipped puppy. You are about to be a parent. Act like it."

Chuck stared at him in horror. "You don't understand! I didn't just kill them. I…I…"

Chuck's mouth continued to move, but no sound came out.

Wilkerson sat back in his chair. "Chuck, I heard Sarah on her ride on the helicopter over here. You didn't flash. She saw the look on your face. It was subtle, but she knew what it meant. That's why she tranqued you. That's how you woke up here. Chuck, Sarah is only interested in getting 'her Chuck' back, not what you did."

A small smile appeared on his face and disappeared just as fast. His head found its way back to his hands as a small moan escaped his lips. Wilkerson just sat there and waited a moment until Chuck spoke again.

"How can I go back to my family when I might attack anyone at any time?"

Wilkerson gave a gentle laugh. "Oh, Chuck. As strange as it may seem, our work hasn't even started. You are going to get this pain out soon, but I am here to get you back to your family."

Chuck just sat up and had the first real smile on his face in a while.

The Padre looked at him and said "I think we've done enough for today." He checked his watch. "Later, though. I think it's time for a phone call. I'm pretty sure Sarah will hurt me if I don't let you talk to her."

The Padre stood up and gestured for Chuck to exit the Abbot's office.

**A/N a few quick things: First, this chapter contains an homage to one of my favorite episodes of The West Wing. I thought it was original and groundbreaking. When I showed it to PJ he said oh this is just like the Finale of MASH. While there are some MASH callbacks, it was still a facepalm moment.**

**I will be starting a companion story do Sarah's mission will be on it. All the storylines were getting a bit much. **

**Please of please let me know if this worked for you.**


	13. Chapter 13Monsters Everywhere, and Nowh

**A/N #1: I have numerous people to thank, but that will wait for a quick disclaimer. There will be religious overtones in this chapter.**

**This Penultimate chapter has been a bear. Thankfully I had a lot of help. First off PJMurphy called me out on some bad writing, and made me fix it. I didn't follow his solution to the letter so it's not his fault.**

**I have recently found a friend in Lucky47. Her wonderful story Chuck vs the Family Matters is an impressive piece of work. She is also a wonderful lady, and a great person to have a writers sprint with.**

**Also, I would like to thank Supesfan18 to just being him. He pushed a great idea that will start here and end… later.**

**Finally, Thank you Joe and markinzeroland. Joe for glancing at this and ark for posting the parable.**

**I am so relieved to post this. Enjoy. **

"So the second Southern belle looks at the first and says, "That's niccceeee."

Carina, Beckman, Ellie, and Sarah all laughed at the punch line of Zondra's joke. Following a quick planning session and lunch, the ladies were relaxing around the dining room as the staff cleaned the area. Beckman felt her phone vibrate and frowned when she saw the text message. She excused herself and walked to her office, typing in the password on her laptop. She took a look at the screen and returned to the dining room.

As Beckman left to take the message, the three spies' radars went up, leaving Ellie as the only one not staring intently at Beckman when she returned to them.

"Ladies, I need to borrow Sarah for the moment," Beckman said as she gently grabbed Sarah's arm.

Sarah walked with Beckman into the sitting room,. There was a lot of light in the room, even with all the blinds drawn, as four large windows opened to breathtaking views of the grounds. Making those windows bullet-proof with five inch-thick glass was an expensive proposition, but Beckman spared no expense to keep her home safe. A generic love seat and sofa occupied two sides of the room with a large fireplace on the wall opposite of the sofa.

Beckman gestured for Sarah to sit on the sofa, and she placed her laptop on the large, oak desk. She walked back to the couch with her mobile phone, and Sarah could only stare at it in anticipation, almost willing it to ring. Sarah opened her mouth to say something, only to see Beckman raise her free hand to stop her. After what seemed like an eternity, but was really just over a minute, the phone rang. A smile grew on Diane's face as she handed Sarah the phone.

Sarah took a deep, cleansing breath and answered it. True to his word, the Padre had called her on a regular basis to give her updates on Chuck's condition. As his partner and his best friend, she looked forward to the phone calls. But as his wife, they were excruciating. Still, no news was not good news, so this would be a welcome conversation. They were going to retire from field work. Charles Carmichael was supposed to become a distant memory, and Charles and Sarah Talley were going to teach at the Farm and do analysis for the company. No more killing, no more seduction. It couldn't come soon enough for Sarah.

_Please be good news_, she thought as she put the phone to her ear. "Talley," she said.

"Sarah, it's me."

Sarah's shoulders relaxed and she rested her chin on her hand. "Chuck?" When she looked up she saw Beckman had left the room. After letting out a breath she thought,_ Relative or not. Beckman is still my boss._

"I've been allowed to make a short phone call to you."

Sarah took in a deep breath. "So, how has everything been going?"

"I have to admit it's been interesting, but at the same time it has been..."

"Enlightening?" Sarah provided.

"Yeah, that's a good word." Chuck paused for a moment to collect himself. "Before I forget to say it, I love you."

She smiled and her eyes welled up. "I know, baby. I love you, too. Don't worry about me. Just get better and come home to me."

For a moment Chuck got so silent, Sarah thought she might have lost the call, but then he said. "Why do you want me to come home? I've become a monster! How…" Chuck had difficulty breathing. "How can you even want me home?"

Sarah's face contorted for a moment at the word Monster, but it quickly went away. "Chuck, let's get something straight right here, right now," Sarah said sternly. "I love you, and I want you home. Besides, if you think I'm just going to let you go, you really are out of your damn mind."

Sarah heard silence. Finally she heard his voice again, and it was shaking badly. She could almost picture the tears that must have been coming to Chuck's face.

"Sarah, I've…I've become the monster you always tried to keep me from becoming." Sarah could hear him choke back a few sobs. "How can you even want me back home and around our children? What if they aren't safe around me anymore? Oh, God, what the hell…"

"Chuck!" Sarah forcefully interrupted him. "Shush, baby, and listen to me. Let me tell you a story."

Sarah straightened in her seat. "There's this guy walking down the street and falls in this hole. A doctor walks up and sees this, and the guy shouts up to him, 'Hey, can you help me? I'm in this hole, and the walls are so steep I can't get out.' The doctor writes a prescription and throws it in the hole."

Chuck heard Sarah sneeze. "God bless you." he said.

Sarah smiled at the phone. "Thank you. So a bit later, a priest comes by the hole. The guy says, 'Father, I'm in this hole, can you help me?' The priest writes a prayer and throws it in the hole."

"Not long after, he sees a friend and says, 'Joe can you help me, I'm in a hole.' Joe jumps in the hole with him, and the guy says, 'Are you stupid? Now we're both in the hole.' Joe says, 'Yeah, but I've been in this hole, and I know the way out.' "

Sarah paused for a second to collect herself. "Baby, as long as I take in breath, I will always stand by you. So it is simple, Chuck. You have to get better."

Sarah heard a quiet chuckle on the other end of the phone. "I knew having you watch _The West Wing_ was going to bite me in the ass one day."

"The sentiment is just as true today, Chuck."

She could hear Chuck start and stop several times. "Sarah, I did such horrible things."

"But the thing is, you are human. I think…no, I KNOW…you are the best person I have ever met, and that will never change." _Will he realize that I am the monster he is so afraid of becoming?_

Another pause followed. It was eerily silent on both ends of the phone. "Sarah, are you crying?"

"Yes, dammit!" Sarah snapped at her husband. "I can't seem to stop being a blubbering idiot! This is your fault, Chuck, so hurry up and come home so you can fix it!"

"Actually, Wilkerson says it may only be a day or two more. I seem to be going on a road trip today."

"A road trip, Chuck?"

Once again Sarah heard only his breathing. His was almost a whisper. "Sarah, what if I attack someone?"

"Chuck, I'm sure you know why you did what you did at my appointment."

"Kinda."

Sarah took a breath to keep her voice strong. "Now that you know, you'll be able to prevent them."

Chucks voice came back much stronger. "How did I marry such an amazing person?"

It was Sarah's turn to smile. "I ask myself the exact same thing every day."

The couple shared a few moments of silence. "So what are you doing today?" Chuck asked

"Well it seems the C.A.T. Squad is going after Patel with a couple of new members."

"New members?"

"It turns out your aunt was always envious of us, no matter how stupid Graham was coming up with the name."

Sarah couldn't stop smiling when she heard the laughter from the other end of the phone. "Well be careful, Sarah. I can't wait to see you. I love you, Sarah."

"Love you, too."

Sarah closed her eyes as she ended the call. She placed the edge of the phone on her forehead and closed her eyes tightly. When she opened them, she realized she had been so focused on the call, she didn't notice Ellie had taken a seat next to her.

"He seems to be doing much better," she told Ellie.

Ellie looked at her sister and smiled. "You don't have to tell me, Sarah. You're smile could light up an entire city."

Sarah nodded. "It looks like the light at the end of the tunnel is clearly visible." She paused and shied away from Ellie's gaze as she tried to keep the inevitable blush from rising. "I'm always amazed how he controls my emotions so easily."

Ellie touched Sarah's face. "It's love, Sarah. You gave each other the keys to each other's hearts."

Sarah studied Ellie's face. "What's wrong, Ellie? Is there something that's bothering you?"

A guilty smile appeared on Ellie's face. "I should never try to keep something from a spy. I've been worried about this Padre guy. What's the deal with him?"

"You're worried because he's not a psychiatrist, aren't you." When Ellie slowly nodded, Sarah realized she had expected Ellie to put a lot of blind faith in her decisions. Given Ellie hadn't grown up in her world; Sarah should have been cognizant of that. After all, saying _I trust you_ was a far cry from actually being able to trust someone. The intensity of her gaze was unexpected.

Sarah turned back to Ellie and took her hand. "Did I ever tell you about how I met the Padre?" Ellie shook her head. "A few months before I was assigned to find out about a certain guy at the Buy More, I was on a mission that went all wrong. My partner abandoned me, and it took everything I had to make it to a dingy hotel to hide till backup arrived."

She stopped when she saw the blood drain from Ellie's face. Sarah paused. Sarah gave Ellie's hand a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, I was relatively safe there, and it wasn't too long before someone came to get me out of there."

"The door was opened. It did not take me long to realize that Graham had decided that my physical body wasn't the only thing that needed healing." It was Sarah turn to stare at Ellie as she clasped her hands tightly. "I had been used as a weapon, a tool, by the CIA for years. They liked the beauty, but the beast was just as important. It took long, long hours of conversation, but The Padre helped me realize that I had been fighting against it for a long time. I never realized until I talked to him just how much I needed to be needed"

"Oh come on Sarah, I've seen you in action. You are amazing. You really didn't know how many people needed you?"

Sarah took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair before her before she continued on. "I know there are a lot of people who find what I can do useful." She paused and exhaled solemnly. "Even my father. What I meant was nobody ever needed _me_ before. Not the woman who had the right facial features and the athletic body, just the woman. Just Sarah."

A few tears fell down Sarah's cheek and she grabbed a Kleenex. "No one ever cared about me."

_**SNORK!**_

The strange and loud sound coming from Sarah as she blew her nose caused both women to freeze. They stared at each other for a moment before laughing lot harder than the joke really was.

"Ever think of getting a job with an alarm company? Talk about scaring the burglars away!" Ellie said, her eyes dancing with merriment.

Sarah laughed hysterically and blushed in embarrassment. Both of them settled down after a moment. "So, The Padre worked with me until we returned to the Company's campus. By that time, I came to realize that all of the work I had done was for everyone but me. If I ever was going to become the person my mind obviously wanted me to be, then I was the one who needed to do it. So he set me up with a local doctor who could help."

"Then I met this cute nerd who..." Sarah's voice left her. The tears started flowing again.

Ellie just smiled. "Turned your life upside-down, inside-out, and wouldn't leave well enough alone?"

Sarah laughed. "Yeah and his too-caring-for-her-own-good older sister didn't exactly help, either."

Ellie rocked back in laughter as her own cheeks were moist with a tear or two. "It's a shame you weren't pregnant earlier. These sisterly talks are so much more fun with your hormones all over the place."

Both ladies shared a moment where they just smiled as the faint ticking of a clock was heard in the background. After staring at Ellie for a full ten seconds, Sarah said, "You shouldn't be going on this mission with us."

Ellie just shook her head slowly. "Sarah, you need a physician in case something happens. I am the only one who's…what word am I looking for? Cleared?...to do this. So if you go, I go."

"Well it might be moot anyway. Beckman might still bench me, even though this is going to be such an easy mission."

In the kitchen, Carina and Zondra were having a slightly less emotional talk with General Beckman.

"Ladies, I know how much Bartowski means to you, but she shouldn't be going," Beckman said in a tone that was part caring matriarch, part hard-ass officer.

"General, I understand that, but Zondra and I will do the heavy lifting," Carina said, her hands waiving around for emphasis. "And we have a doctor coming with us. This is just for kicks. We need one last hurrah. Once Walker starts squirting out the little baby nerds, we will never get another chance."

Beckman's face became stern. "Look, I've been doing this since you kittens were in diapers, so spare me the BS."

Zondra sported an evil grin. "Look, just because we're not going to Palm Beach to visit a certain martini-swilling 'friend' of yours doesn't mean you should be a spoil sport for the rest of the team."

"How dare you mention that! I am only thinking about Sarah! Not the fact that he is in Palm Springs"

Carina looked at the other two women. "Just who are you talking about, and why don't I know about it?"

"General," Sarah said as she entered the room. "Roan Montgomery is probably the worst kept secret in the CIA. I know you're worried about me, but don't be. I'll be fine. Besides, this will give you cover when the NCA ask why didn't you go on vacation."

"Sarah, I really don't think…" Beckman began.

"Dammit, Diane! They went after Chuck! And they didn't care how many of our family were killed to get to him! The son of a bitch has got to pay!"

Beckman stared at her for several moments until she nodded her head in agreement.

_**Chapel at the Monastery**_

Chuck sat on the edge of his seat for what he had learned was the homily. That's what they called the sermon the priest delivered in a Catholic service. As this one was going to be delivered by the guy who had been helping him, there was no doubt he needed to pay attention. Sarah seemed so much closer today and Chuck didn't want to leave anything to chance.

"Our reading is from Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians," the priest began. "Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? - unless, of course, you fail the test. I hope you will discover that we have not failed. But we pray to God that you may not do evil, not that we may appear to have passed the test but that you may do what is right, even though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we rejoice when we are weak but you are strong. What we pray for is your improvement."

Although Chuck did his best to pay attention while the priest read the Gospel passage for the day, his mind focused on the reading that talked about doing evil and failing the test. The words haunted his mind.

_I am evil_, he thought. _I've become what I've always tried to avoid. I failed the test._

He shook his head clear and focused on the homily.

"Like a lot of other verses in the New Testament, this verse is ambiguous," the priest said. "It's that way for a very good reason. The human condition can be very complex. It is better to find the word sometimes than to go to the rulebook."

Chuck found it amusing the ordinarily quiet man he had seen in his office had a bright glimmer in his eye. He also was waving his arms making points as he continued.

"Today I want to talk about how this is just another way of explaining just how amazing God's love really is. He gave us the gift of free will. It really is an amazing gift. With it, we are not the drones you see in the movies just blindly shooting away without reason or purpose. No, it is what allows us to leave our own lives. When we have a decision to make, we can choose what we want to do.

I remember this old Cherokee story. A parable, as it were. One evening, an old Cherokee Indian told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, 'My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

"'The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.'

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, 'Which wolf wins?'

The old Cherokee simply replied, 'The one you feed.'"

The Padre moved to the center of the pulpit and put his hands together, bowing his head in prayer before he continued. "It has always been up to us. Do we ignore His love or do we walk the path of righteousness every day?

"We can only be the monsters you hear about on TV if we choose to behave that way." Wilkerson stared at Chuck for a moment. "If we choose to walk the path and feed the good wolf, we will become the people God wants us to be. The ones that will enjoy eternal life. Free will was given to us for a reason. As sinners we will make mistakes, but by design it is our Heavenly Father that decides our ultimate fate. The good news as always is that He loves us, and our mistakes are expected. God's love and our faith can carry us on forever."

_**Monastery Offices**_

Chuck walked into the room where they had been having their sessions and sat down in his chair and waited. He figured it would take a moment to get all those extra robes and stuff off before The Padre got back. It took about five minutes, but when he got back he was wearing street clothes.

"Chuck, I have been looking forward to this, so I figure we will do this meeting a little different. Come on, we need to get you changed so we can go."

Chucks forehead furrowed and his eyes became clouded. "Not that I mind, but where are we going on such short notice?"

Wilkerson smiled a toothy grin and rubbed his hand over his head. "We have a parish in a poor neighborhood nearby, but its parishioners are amazing. So I set it up for you to fix some computers for them."

Chuck could have been knocked down with a feather, "Umm, it's not that I mind, but why do you want to make me a Nerd Herder again?"

A wry smile emerged on the Padre. "Why do you think we're going there, Chuck?"

He turned and faced the Padre, starting and stopping several times before finally finding his voice. "This is how I pay back all the kindness you've shown me?"

The Padre chuckled. "While I appreciate the sentiment, Chuck, that's not it. Try again."

"I need to prove I can keep myself from going off on someone."

This time it was Wilkerson's term to pause. "Whom do you need to prove it to?"

Chuck stopped again and looked straight at his counterpart as his shoulders sagged and he let out a breath. "I don't know. Myself?"

The trip in the car was interesting. Of course driving in a Jeep Grand Cherokee was interesting when the driver had done a lot of off-road driving in their lives. The fact he was going to some place to work on old computers was kind of fitting. Wilkerson even told him he wanted him to work on his computer. Beckman had mentioned that Chuck was brilliant on security measures.

An hour later, the Padre pulled up to the parish, and the place looked like an old abandoned building. When he walked into it, he was struck by an odd sense of familiarity. The smell reminded him if the cafeteria at Stanford. Then he saw them on the side of the building. Twenty computers sat waiting for someone to fix them. The last few had people waiting to use them.

A small smile came to Chuck as he turned to face the Padre. "I'm going to need..."

"Your toolkit?" Wilkerson finished as he handed Chuck a small box.

Chuck stared at him in surprise. "How did you know?"

"I asked Sarah about what you would need."

The mere mention of Sarah's name made Chuck light up like a Christmas tree. Then it faded just as quickly. "Wait, were you always planning on coming here? Even before…" Chuck looked to make sure no one was listening. "…my disaster?"

The Padre let a small chuckle escape. "Chuck, figuring out what was going on with you was never an issue. You were the one who needed to figure it out."

Chuck nodded as he sat down on the metal folding chair. He set up his toolkit as he smiled at the first people who waiting for him to work on the computer. "So what happens to be the problem with this computer?"

After the parishioner told him the problem with the computer, he plugged in a surge protector and booted the computer. He turned his head to the side to look at his companion. "Padre, can I borrow your laptop for a second? I'll get the security updates on it while waiting for the other systems to do their thing."

Wilkerson handed Chuck his laptop and stepped back to watch Chuck in action. He had to smile. Chuck looked like a kid entering the living room on Christmas morning. After plugging in Wilkerson's laptop, he booted it up and got to work.

"Chuck, I'll write down the password for you. Do you…"

The Padre stopped as he saw Chuck had already bypassed the log in screen and was flying through the different screens. "How did you…" The Padre was shocked, to say the least.

Chuck stopped his work and looked at the Padre with a grin. "Padre, this is kind of my thing."

It didn't take long for Chuck to fix the first few computers. However, word got out quickly, and thirty more computers suddenly appeared. As more people arrived to receive assistance from Chuck, the security updates for the Padre's computer completed their update. The Padre really had to give Chuck credit; he was a rare individual. Someone who was a genius by almost any measure but made any person who interacted with him feel completely at ease. The Padre wondered if Chuck knew how rare of a gift that was.

While Chuck worked on a woman's computer, she went on and on about how her hours were cut back at a hotel where she was employed with housekeeping. As he was going through her bios to make sure everything would work, Chuck heard her mention the Holiday Inn next to the interstate. Suddenly, the Padre noticed Chuck turn rigid and a strange look emerged on his face. Just as soon as it appeared, it was gone, he hit a couple quick keys on the woman's computer and stood up. "Ma'am I think you're ready to go." Once she walked away, he turned to Wilkerson. "Let's go some place private. I need to talk to you about something."

Once they left the cafeteria, the Padre and Chuck went into an office around the corner. "You know about the Intersect, right? Well, I just had a flash. I need to use your computer for a bit." No answer came from Wilkerson, only a raised eyebrow. "I found some unusual security protocols at Patel's office; the same office Sarah and her team is headed to right now. I need to help them."

"No problem, Kid, but do me a favor. Make sure you stay in touch. I see what everyone says about just how brilliant you are. It's definitely not the secrets that make you who you are. "

Chuck just shrugged his shoulders as a wry smile formed on his face. The two men headed back into the cafeteria to get the laptop.

_**Patel's Offices**_

The team pulled up to the office building their intel revealed as Patel's office. The mirrored finish and the cookie cutter architecture screamed boring. Even the waterfall in front of the building looked like it was probably built in front of a few thousand office buildings around the world. Zondra parked the car among a group of other cars so it wouldn't stand out.

"This may look like just another office building, but we don't know which of the five floors he is on," Beckman said as the group exited the car. "Plus I am sure there is plenty of security in place, so be careful. Zondra, take point. Carina, cover our six."

Zondra looked at Carina in amusement. "Geez, and I thought Walker was anal retentive about going over plans again and again. We got it, General. Trust us."

They slipped into a side entrance and took a stairwell up to the second floor. Sarah looked at the security locks on the doors.

"The locks have a six-digit rolling code synchronized to special badges worn by all personnel. Fortunately, this is where it pays to be married to the man who installed the system."

Sarah took a small tablet computer out of her bag and attached a USB cable to it. She then attached it to the lock and started the program on the tablet to find the correct code.

Zondra looked at Carina and shook her head. "I need to get decontaminated after this. Apparently the nerd virus is contagious."

"Bite me," Sarah replied acidly.

"Real mature response there, Walker."

"Uh-huh. By the way, Kettle returned your call. Something about you saying she's black?"

Ellie tried to just let it all soak in. She leaned over to her aunt. "Is it always like this?"

"This is one of their better days," Beckman replied with a tired sigh.

The program on Sarah's laptop found the code, and she opened the door. As the team entered the hallway on the second floor, all of the lights started to blink. Sarah stared at them for a few moments. Zondra grabbed a notepad mumbling "My Morse code is rusty."

Suddenly a grin spread across Sarah's face. She turned to the team, and the sparkle in her eyes was apparent. "Chuck is here," she whispered excitedly.

"How do you know?" Carina asked.

Sarah pointed at the lights. "The pattern of the lights. It's _Feeling Good_ by Nina Simone. It's our song."

Ellie looked up at the lights. "She's right. It must be Chuck. He was raving about this book called _The Bank Job_ a few months ago. I think something like this happened in it."

"I hope this story had a happy ending," Carina said.

Ellie shrugged. "I'm not sure. I don't think they finished the book yet out of frustration. From what Chuck told me, some people thought the author was evil, but he always thought she was a big softy."

The team moved slowly down the second floor hallway but saw nobody. They returned to the stairwell. Sarah took out her tablet to open the door again, but the green light and a quick flick of the lights let them know Chuck was a step ahead of them.

Zondra opened the door and looked into the stairwell with her gun pointed. "So this is what it's like to have full time geek support."

"NERD!" Sarah, Ellie, Beckman, and Carina corrected, to which Zondra shook her head and contorted her face in disgust.

They ascended the stairs to the third floor. Sarah looked at the lock, but the keypad blinked red. The light above them turned itself off.

"Not this floor?" Ellie asked.

Sarah shook her head. "Chuck has control of the lights, so he must want us elsewhere." She peered up the stairwell. The light above the entrance to the fifth floor was still lit. "Let's go," she said.

The slow but careful progression up the stairs continued till they reached the fifth floor. Sarah tried to use her tablet computer to open the door, but it wouldn't respond. The light above them flickered three times in a repeated fashion.

"What does that mean?" Ellie asked.

Sarah was confused until her tablet computer beeped. She tapped the screen, and the feed from a security camera showed three guards in the hallway. Sarah held up three fingers and whispered to Ellie, "Ellie, there are a few guys in this hallway. I know enough not to ask you to hide, but just sneak a peek at the hallway. OK Ellie?"

Ellie took a moment to process what she had heard. As she did the door lock clicked open and the spies headed for the other side. Ellie lightly grabbed her sister in law's arm "Sarah isn't this dangerous?"

Eleanor Fay Bartowski had known Sarah Lisa Walker for a long time. Even so, she had never seen the smile and the way her eyes had a mischievous glint to them before. Sarah just looked at her and said, "Is this dangerous? Nope. This… is fun."

With that, Sarah joined her fellow agents into the hallway.

As Ellie peeked around the corner into the hallway the three spies were padding down the hallway crouched, but still flowing. She knew for certain, she was glad she was not the guys that were supposedly in this hallway. There wasn't anyone, but a light near one of the doors flashed and the three guys Chuck had predicted walked into the hallway and froze.

Beckman was standing on the other side of the doorway, and when she saw the men wearing standard security guard garb she told Ellie, "This will be quick."

Ellie agreed easily since both Zondra and Carina seemed to turn into what could be described as a whirling dervish. Shortly after two henchman were down and the one left was walking up to Sarah with a huge smirk on his face.

Carina looked at Zondra across the hall and said, "Z, he's smirking."

"Yeah, one day they'll remember not to smirk at her."

He took another step and swung at Sarah. She ducked and used a right cross across his jaw. Number three backed up a step and said, "Oh it's on, bitch."

Beckman looked at Ellie and said, "I bet you were wondering why I allowed Sarah to come."

As soon as she finished telling Ellie that Sarah took a step forward and swung her right foot up at a surprisingly fast speed. Its trajectory was stopped at the junction between his legs. He stopped all motion as his eyeballs tried to leave his body as the air left his lungs. Then Sarah planted herself and performed a flying kick to his head.

It didn't take long for him to crumple to the carpet.

"That's why."

Zondra looked at her old partner, "Finished showing off Sarah?"

Sarah felt something on her cheek and rubbed it. Her fingers came away red, and it wasn't her blood, she realized. _Chuck's not the monster. You are. _

Ellie and Beckman caught up with the group and saw a new light flash above a door a few doors down. In a low voice, Ellie asked, "How does Chuck know where we are?"

Gently, Sarah grabbed Ellie's arm and moved down the hall to the door that Chuck wanted opened. She looked up into the camera offering a quick smile and wave to her husband, trying to shake off the morose turn her thoughts had taken and hoping the poor camera feed would hide it from him. He'd always been too perceptive for his own good and the last thing she needed was him being concerned about her.

A long forgotten quote from college entered her mind. "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more." She sincerely hoped that this would be the final time.

That is till she felt a firm grip yank her into the room.

**AN #2 Over a year ago I had the idea for this. I'm not trying to make Chuck a born again Christian overnight. However, I do believe that the world has forced Chuck to change, and the person who is helping his is a priest. Therefore this is a natural progression.**

**I am not trying to change anyone's mind, just celebrating my beliefs. **

**If you have any comments PLEASE let me know. **


	14. finale

A/N 1** Here is the final chapter of Heritage. Sending this out into the world is a relief, but also a bit sad. I want to thank every single one of you for reading and reviewing any part of this story. Being part of this community is one of the greatest experiences of my life.**

**Before you read the following this chapter deals with faith. Just wanted you to know before started.**

**I want to thank PJMurphy for not only betaing this, but also for being a friend. He helped me so much, and the fight scene in the beginning would not have been possible without his knowledge. In fact, he added a couple of sentences here that added so much depth.**

**To the guys at ChuckThis… Thank you! You are responsible for getting me addicted to ff. Dave Bill thanks also for leaving your comfort zone and getting me started on this journey.**

**Thank you so much Supesfan. From day one we have worked well together, and its n honor to see inside that idea filled brain of his.**

**Even though she will probably never see this, thank you Frea. I am so glad that I was able to go through the castle inanity school of writing. Plus she does tend to treat her minions well.**

**Without any further ado…**

Evidently Patel wasn't as dumb as they thought. Having two henchmen holding your arms was bad enough, but with Carina and Zondra out of commission, two other henchman in front of General Beckman, and Ellie having no defense training at all, things looked bleak.

_Easy mission, my butt,_ Sarah thought with an acidic taste rising in her mouth.

It kind of reminded her of a certain room years ago where Chuck got the 2.0 upgrade.

Her trip down memory lane was interrupted by Patel. "What are you waiting for? Grab the old woman and we can finish this."

Sarah looked back to Beckman as one meathead pointed a pistol at her and the other right behind him. Her mouth dropped open when Beckman blinked at her. The General looked frail and old. In fact, she had barely moved since they entered the office. Suddenly, the unflappable Sarah Bartowski was left to stare in shock.

General Beckman smiled and winked at her.

The two men nearest the General had even less time to react as her hand shot up to grab the barrel of the gun and her other hand twisted the wrist of the man holding it, who chose to let go of the gun rather than have his hand break. Beckman jumped and did a 360, her outstretched elbow nailing a key pressure point in the man's neck. He fell, which prompted the second man to attack. However, he chose the wrong direction, and Beckman used the falling henchman as cover. Leaping around him, she swung out hard, nailing the man in the back of the head with the barrel of the gun. The two men holding Sarah looked in shock, and she took advantage, slipping her arms out from under their grip and pushing off of them to hop away. That left the two easy targets for Beckman, who quick-drew a tranq gun from behind her back and put them down with a shot apiece.

Sarah stared in shock. Had Chuck been there, no doubt images of Yoda going ballistic in _Star Wars_ would have come to his mind. "I heard stories, but it's amazing to see it live."

Beckman turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Do you really think I would endanger Eleanor?"

"I guess not."

Ellie timidly raised her hand. "Um, as the non-spy here, I'd like to know what are we going to do with him." Ellie pointed towards Patel, who looked like he was trying to merge with the chair he was sitting in.

Beckman's answer was simple. "It would best if we just killed him."

Sarah responded even before Ellie could. Of course, since Ellie's eyes looked like saucers at the moment, Sarah jumped in. "There is no way we're going to do that. The violence has to stop now. I don't want us having to deal with a revenge crazed maniac when Charles Jr. is born."

A clinical psychiatrist might have wondered if Ellie was having mood swings. The size of her eyes never changed, yet her horror changed to joy immediately. "Oh my, is that what you decided?" Ellie could have been surrounded by a thousand killers right now and it still wouldn't have registered. "When did you decide? Does Chuck know?"

Sarah shrugged and smiled. "He wasn't a fan at first, but he came around. But Ellie, don't you think you should check on Carina and Zondra?"

Once Ellie looked at the two ladies she immediately rushed to them. "You're right."

Sarah took the brief moment to glance at Beckman. "Not that long ago, he would have been dead already. But now? I'm OK, as I'm sure you will guarantee he won't be able to hurt this family again." After a quick nod, Sarah turned toward her sister-in-law. "Besides I hear the view from Guantanamo is gorgeous right now."

With the decision made, Sarah rushed over to her friends. Beckman tranqued the non-friendlies again. When Ellie heard the noise she looked straight at Beckman and opened her mouth to say something. Sarah stopped her with a whisper and a raised eyebrow. "Do you want them to wake up any time soon?"

With a shake of her head Ellie returned her focus to Carina and Zondra. Sarah turned to go and help the General when she heard Ellie's voice. "Don't think this will get you out of an examination after this."

Sarah rolled her eyes as her hand went to her cell phone as she felt the vibration from it. As her eyes settled on the text from the screen the first real smile that appeared on her face in a while came on her face. She looked at Zondra and Carina as they were slowly getting up.

"Shake it ladies," she said with a grin. "I've got a date with a nerd."

As the sun was setting, the air was already cooling off for the night. With the top down in the jeep it was almost chilly. The conversation in the car was equally chilly. They had knocked out ten minutes of the forty minute drive, and nothing had been said.

"So why haven't you asked me a question" Chuck asked.

The Padre kept facing the road, but his eyes turned toward Chuck. "Why do you think?"

Chuck rolled his eyes. "Why do you always answer my questions with a question?"

"Why do you always ask questions that you know the answer too?"

This time Chuck just exhaled. After a brief silence, he looked back at him. "Are you surprised I didn't freak out when all this stuff was going down at the Patel's?"

"Not at all. I knew you could handle combat stress when there was a gun to Sarah's head."

Chuck just nodded with a bit of sadness. _Maybe I still have work to do._

"What did surprise me is how you dealt with the stress, and then didn't internalize it."

Chuck's forehead furrowed and had a confused look in his eyes.

"It surprised me that you didn't think I was an enemy agent."

With Chuck's eyes opening to the sizes of saucers, and the "oh" forming on his lips, it was easy to see that he now understood. "So Padre, does this mean I can see my Sarah fair?"

For the first time on the trip Wilkerson smiled. "Charles Irving Bartowski…aka Charles Carmichael aka Charles Talley…your stay at the monastery will end tomorrow after mass."

A laugh emanated from the driver side of the car. "So that's the smile that Sarah would not stop talking about."

"So, please tell me what's bothering you."

Sarah stared at her sister-in-law for several moments. The ride in the van had definitely been odd. It became very obvious that Sarah and Ellie were going to ride back to the safe house together. Beckman, Zondra and Carina practically ran to the second van. Even though the threat had been neutralized, the General decided that she would use part of the team that had arrived as back up.

The end result was Sarah was sitting with her sister-in-law. They were more than that, however the last few days had put a severe strain on their relationship.

"Do you know why we're alone in here except for the driver?" Ellie asked.

Sarah turned to Ellie for just a moment before returning to look forward. "Please tell me it was because you really wanted to make sure that I stay happy until we go to the monastery." She looked at sister-in-law again, but this time she could see the legitimate worry in Ellie's eyes. "Ellie, this is finally over. We are done. No more field work. I just want to collect my husband and get on with our lives."

"That's a wonderful sentiment, but are you really ready for it?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"You may think no one else noticed, but I saw your face. I saw the look in your eyes. And let me tell you something. You are wrong. There is no way that you are a monster."

Sarah turned to Ellie in horror. "How can you say that? You saw what I did at the truck stop. That is just a small portion of what I've done. The people I've had to kill? The lives I destroyed?"

Ellie shook her head slightly and brushed her hair out of the way. Sarah almost smiled internally. From the way her jaw was set, her sister-in-law was going to dispense some advice.

"Driver please pull over to the side of the road." Ellie looked straight ahead and didn't see any reaction from the driver.

"Ellie, I don't want to waste any more time before seeing Chuck. I ordered him to not stop for anything aside from red lights."

Ellie's gaze caught the driver's in the rear view mirror. "Driver, I know this very pregnant woman beside me has ordered you not to stop. However, if you do pull this van over this instant you will regret it. Am…I…Clear?"

With only a moment's hesitation the driver looked between both women and pulled the van out of traffic and over to the side of the road, deciding on the lesser of two evils. Sarah began to speak, but Ellie cut her off and jabbed her thumb to the outside of the van. Ellie threw open the door and darted out. Sarah took a moment to get out because of her condition, and she saw Ellie pacing back and forth along the road as she shut the door.

"Ellie?"

Ellie whirled around. "Sarah do not speak, do you hear me? Not a single word! I mean, have you listened to yourself these last few minutes? As much as I love everything you've done for our family, you are being a complete idiot! And I know you are not an idiot. Yet here we are…"

Sarah was too stunned to move. "Ellie, please. Let's just get back into the van and go see Chuck."

"My brother had a mental breakdown protecting his family! He is going to need all of our help, and he isn't going to be able to ask you for help unless you can forgive yourself."

"Forgive myself?"

"Sarah! You just said and I quote '_You saw what I did at the truck stop. That is just a small portion of what I've done. The people I've had to kill? The lives I destroyed?' _Sarah, my unborn nephew needs two stable parents and right now they don't even have one. I know that you are strong. I've seen it since I first met you and you have proven it time and time again. But the time to be strong for yourself is over. Now you need to be strong for your FAMILY! Can you do that?"

Inevitable tears began to stream out of Sarah's red, puffy eyes. She slumped against the side of the van and collapsed to her knees. She tried to open her mouth to speak but the only word that would come out was "How?"

Ellie knelt next to Sarah and put her arms around her. She brushed Sarah's hair from her face and gently dabbed her tears with a tissue. "Sarah, all of those people you killed. They were the bad guys, right?"

Sarah sniffed. "I can't know for sure. But yes, the majority of them were very bad guys."

"How many people did you save in the process of killing them? It doesn't matter how you killed them. The big question is, how many did you save?"

"I don't really know. A lot. Chuck and I have saved millions, maybe," Sarah whispered.

"A monster kills people for no reason at all. But for every life you took, countless people were able to continue living. You are not a monster, Sarah. You never were, and you never can be. I've lost patients before. But I had to learn from those tragedies to make myself a better doctor. If I thought myself a monster for not saving one patient, I could have ended up losing so many more. Do you understand?"

Ellie waited for Sarah to nod in agreement before she continued. "Sarah, you've saved more people than anyone could ever hope. And the most important life you saved was my brother's. You saved him from himself and from the life of despair that he was leading himself to until he met you.

"You are on your way to meet the man of your dreams, but you have to remember that he is still fragile. And while he is ready to meet you again, he needs to know that he can talk to you and not feel guilty about the way he is making you feel. Can you do that? Are you ready to do that? Are you ready to forgive yourself?"

Sarah rose and stood tall, her eyes were as clear as spring water. "Yes. I'm ready."

Ellie turned and opened up the door to the van and was about to get in when a hand grabbed her arm. Sarah took her into her embrace

"Thank you for being my sister," Sarah said as she gripped Ellie.

Chuck sat down in the chair of Padre's office for what he hoped was the last time. He knew Sarah was coming, but in some ways he would miss this place. The memories here were intense from their newness, and not at all bad, but it was time to see his family.

The Padre entered in after him and approached to give him a hug. "Morning, my brother."

After an intense hug, he took a step back. "One thing is for certain, when Chuck gives you a hug, you know you've been hugged."

Chuck had a slight blush on his face. "So today is the day."

"Yes it is. After yesterday I think you know that you can handle the world."

Chuck looked confused. "I'm cured?"

A chuckle filled the room. "Not yet. But I do think with some more counseling you can do well."

"Oh." Chuck looked down for a moment. "So I'll see you soon?"

"Sorry, but I have other obligations. Nope, I'll recommend someone for you."

"How? There can't be too many people who know my secrets."

The Padre looked at him for a moment. "I know, my brother. I'll say this; you and Sarah mean so much to me. But I have a calling, just like you do. I don't have to be trained to help people who are struggling with this. Chuck, you have PTSD. Heck I knew that before you said a word, you just needed to figure it out for yourself."

The smile left Chuck for just a moment. "How am I supposed to do this? Sarah is amazing, but I'll end up making her feel guilty if I talk to her about my issues. She thinks that compared to me she is a monster. I…I just don't have someone to help me through it. "

Chuck looked up when he heard a deep short chuckle. "You are seriously going to say that to a child of God? Chuck, there has always been someone with you."

"Come on, Padre. After all that's happened, you can't believe that God is still interested in me."

The Padre gave Chuck a bizarre look. "Seriously? You are one of maybe five on the planet who could handle the Intersect, you're one of the most intelligent people I've ever met, and yet He is not interested in you? Don't you think it's a blessing for Morgan that you're in his life? What would Sarah be without you? He is interested in you, in fact He has been using you to help so many. Not because of what you can do, but because of who you are. It wouldn't matter if you were still living at your sister's house eating cheeseballs. God loves you, Chuck. He just wants you to get to know Him."

The silence that overtook the room seemed to suspend time. No interrogation technique being used. In fact it looked like both men were at peace, just waiting for Chuck to think things through.

"So now I should start going to church all the time? Although I just don't think I'm cut out to be even close to those monks out there. Besides, I think I have done pretty well by myself without going to church every weekend. I'm just struggling right now."

The padre rubbed his head closed an eye, and just stared at him with the other. "How can such a brilliant mind come up with such idiotic…" He took a deep breath before continuing. "Don't you think it's time you stop trying to do this alone? I'm not saying that you need to go to church this Sunday and start leading Sunday school! It doesn't matter how many times you go to church. Attending a Sunday service is about fellowship with other Christians, not about how much you believe. All you need is a true relationship with Him. When that happens, you will be amazed how it will change you."

The Padre took a deep breath and grabbed is water bottle to take a sip. "Chuck, I'm amazed by you. Ever since you got in the car and flashed it's been tough. Staging the accident was brilliant. Then having to wait to let your wife know you were OK."

Chuck had his head down, it seemed like the smile he had on his face was from so long ago.

"Shoot Chuck, most people would have folded long ago. And yet, not only did you survive, you excelled. You took care of a threat against your family."

When Chuck's brown eyes met the Padre's, the pain was evident. "Look what I did to those guys. I did a lot more than that."

The former sniper turned priest looked at Chuck. "Chuck, long ago I had a family, and they died in a violent manner. How I acted changed me forever. I made a vow to myself to turn the other cheek every time."

He then leaned in close and his intense gaze was challenging Chuck to stare back. "We both know how horrible you feel about that. You will need a lot help to forgive yourself, but the good news is Jesus already did. While that doesn't mean much now, it will. I am sure of it."

The phone in front of the Padre buzzed. He looked at the caller ID and a smile formed on his face. "Looks like your ride is here."

Chuck opened the door to the courtyard, and his hand went to his eyes to block the glare from the sun. After just a brief moment he acclimated to it and looked around. This was the best part of the campus. The grass seemed greener next to the old tile marking pathways through it. A few trees were well placed to give the area shade, no matter what time of the day. All of that was nice, but near the front was the best thing about the courtyard. The fountain always reminded him of the one back in Burbank.

With a smile Chuck continued toward the entrance. After only a few moments she turned around the corner and their eyes met. Husband and wife moved toward each other.

Closer.

He noticed she was wearing this pretty light blue sundress that was showing a baby bump from their child.

Closer.

He could see her eyes moving up and down his frame. He saw the look in her eyes, and any doubts of whether or not he repulsed her vanished immediately.

Closer.

He could hear the soft sound her shoes made on the stone.

Closer.

He licked his lips, they seemed so dry suddenly. It looked like her lips were, too.

Closer.

The sun was somewhat blocked by a tree filtering the sunlight that shone onto her face and shoulders. _My God, she is so…GORGEOUS._

Closer.

Finally, they were just inches apart staring at each other. Just the faint smell of her perfume almost made his knees give out. Their lips crashed together in an unstoppable force. Hair being tossed, bodies held together to avoid the slimmest of daylight between them. Slowly their mouths separated and Sarah's shoulder found its way to his shoulder.

The intensity of their kiss led the way to a firm hug. They both whispered "I missed you" at the same time. After what could have been a minute or an hour, they slowly separated. Chuck began to open his mouth as Sarah's hand rose to his mouth to stop him.

After a moment, she removed them to place a slow gentle kiss on his lips. As they separated again, Sarah whispered, "There is nothing to apologize for, my love. I'm just glad you're where you belong."

_Fini_

_**AN2 I may post an epilogue. I want to, but there are a lot of things going on in my life.**_


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